good morning. mea culpa. the white house issues apologies to the agriculture department official forced to resign after her words were taken out of context. now she is being offered a new job. what is it? will she take it? and does she think she deserves a call from president obama himself? we'll ask shirley sherrod in a live interview. nightmare in grand tetons. 16 hikers rescued after being injured in a massive lightning storm. one other hiker is still missing. this morning, the latest on the search. and whale of a tale. a 40-ton whale leaps out of the ocean and slams onto the deck of a couple's boat. it was smashed to pieces, but they narrowly escaped. we'll hear from them exclusively

"today," thursday, july 22nd, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this thursday morning, i'm meredith vieira. >> and i'm matt lauer. it's been an interesting 48 hours for shirley sherrod. she's accepted apologies from the without and the secretary of agriculture, but is she ready to take a new job within the same administration that demanded her resignation just three days ago? >> it is a decision that she is mulling over this morning after agriculture secretary tom vilsack admitted he should have done a better job of investigating the video that started the controversy. so is she ready to put it all behind her? does the president himself owe her a personal apology? well, she's sitting right over there. i'm going to talk with shirley sherrod right ahead. >> also a storm brewing in the caribbean has brought efforts to permanently plug the busted oil

well in the gulf to a near standstill. we're going to get the latest on that story and a rare view of the disaster as crews use a submarine to search for oil beneath the surface. we're going to take you live to the gulf in just a couple of minutes. and check in with kerry sanders. >> and plus-sized and proud. the model who is furious that recent pictures of her were altered to make her appear thinner than she actually is. we're going to talk to that model, crystal brand, coming up. >> but we begin on this thursday morning with the fallout over the premature firing of an agriculture department official named shirley sherrod. we'll talk to her in a moment. but first, nbc's savannah guthrie is at the white house with the latest on the story. savannah, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. well, the white house is hoping to move past this chapter, now that the agriculture secretary has come forward to offer ms. sherrod a new job with the agency, and to apologize. under fire for the firing of a usda worker, agriculture secretary tom vilsack faced the cameras. >> this is a good woman.

she's been put through hell, and i could have done and should have done a better job. >> reporter: vilsack said he personally called sherrod to apologize. >> i asked for shirley's forgiveness and she was gracious enough to extend it to me, and for that i am thankful. >> reporter: at the white house wednesday, it was also all apologies. >> i think without a doubt ms. sherrod is owed an apology. a disservice was done for which we apologize. and on behalf of the administration, i offer our apologies. >> reporter: after initially standing by the agriculture secretary's decision to fire sherrod, the white house now acknowledges it was a rush to judgment. a usda official called sherrod monday afternoon in her car, asked her to pull over and resign by blackberry. this, after video surfaced online of sherrod making racially charged comments that turned out to be selectively edited.

>> how did we get into -- how did we not ask the right? questions? how did you all not ask the right questions? how did other people not ask the right questions? >> reporter: watching the apologies as they were issued, live on cable tv, shirley sherrod herself later reacted. >> i'm just wondering how will my grandchildren look at this when they read about this in later years, and their grandmother being the first black person to be state director of rural development in georgia, was asked to resign by the first black president. >> reporter: as for andrew breitbart, the conservative blogger who posted the video, he acknowledged he put it online without seeing the full content of the remarks. but he didn't apologize for posting it, though he did say he has sympathy for sherrod. >> i feel bad that they made this about her and i feel sorry that they made this about her. i'm not sure if that was done because they rushed to judgment, or whether they wanted to make it about shirley versus me. because that's what it's become.

>> well, there's one issue outstanding. senior aides here at the white house insist they did not push the agriculture secretary to fire ms. sherrod, that it was a decision made at agriculture and they were, frankly, looped in essentially after it had been done. on the other hand, miss sherrod has said repeatedly it was her impression, based on her conversation with an agriculture department official, that it was the white house who wanted her to resign. so that's one of those issues of fact that a lot of people will be talking about today, meredith. >> all right, savannah guthrie, thank you very much. shirley sherrod is with us again this morning. ms. sherrod, thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. >> you have now received apologies from the usda, the white house and the naacp for their rush to judgment. you've accepted those apologies. you really are a woman, as the secretary put it, who has been through hell. how are you feeling right now? >> you know, i've gone from being at such a low on monday, as this was unfolding, and thinking, this is so unreal, to

feeling so great about the support i've received from around the country. it's encouraging. it makes me feel that there are many others out there who think like i do, and so many who do not think like the individual who started this in the first place. >> let's talk about that. i want to talk about it in a minute. but first of all, do you think that you deserve a phone call from president obama? >> i think i do. >> you do? >> mm-hmm. >> an apology? >> well, you know, he is the president of the united states of america. i received the apologies that are important. i really would not want the president to apologize to me. i'd love to have a conversation with him, though.

>> and what would you say to him? >> you know, i'd like to talk to him a little bit about the experience of people like me. people at the grassroots level. people who live out there in rural america, people who live in the south. i know he does not have that kind of experience. let me help him a little bit with how we think, how we live, and the things that are happening. >> what do you think he doesn't understand and a lot of the rest of the country doesn't understand about people like you and the way you live and what you're faced with? >> you know, we are people who struggle every day, who do the best we can in our community. who love this country. we love him. we want him to be successful, because we feel he thinking, in some ways, like we do. and we think that's good for the country. yes, there are issues out there that we are faced with -- issues of poverty, issues that i worked

so hard on these last 11 months at rural development to try to really have an impact on, mainly because that's me. but the other thing, i want everything to reflect, i want a good reflection for him as the first black president. >> but why do you think when it comes to this topic of race, it just presses people's buttons? people are so quick to react without thinking. you're in the center of a storm here. why do you think that is? >> you know, this has gone on for years and years, and i thought we were getting to a place where we really could talk about it. but we can't deal with it until we can face each other. that's the whole point i make when i talk. the things that are being done by the gentleman who started this, and i can't even think of his name -- >> andrew breitbart. >> yes. i didn't know of him before this happened, but the things he's doing, they're being done more to divide us so we can't move on.

>> but i guess his point was that this is not him versus you. he was trying to point out racism within the membership of the naacp. that when you told that story about being reluctant to help a white farmer, but -- and you realized this was about poverty, that there was acceptance within the crowd, people who are yeah, you're right, what he was trying to say was there's racism in the naacp, the same way they claim there might be racism within the tea party. is there room for debate, for discussion about that? >> you know, there's always room for debate and discussion. because that's what will get us to a point where we can tolerate each other. people were not laughing in that audience. and he knew that his actions would take shirley sherrod down. he didn't mind doing that. he thought, i think, he probably hoped, it would also deal with the naacp. but what he did was getting me. and that, i cannot -- well, he's

never offered to apologize for what he's done. but that, you know, it would be hard for me to forgive him at this point. >> but at some point the white house could have checked and seen the whole video, the usda could have seen the whole video, the naacp could have seen the whole video before going on the attack with you. the white house has said they had nothing to do with your ouster. you have said that you had three phone calls on monday from your superiors saying that the white house was behind it, they wanted you to resign. do you stand by that? >> i stand by that. because i asked what has happened? you know, i just couldn't -- it was so -- you know, the first call i received said we're putting you on administrative leave. i had to explain to my leadership staff that we were quite a ways from the office, in a meeting, that i explained what happened, and i told them, i have to leave and go turn this government car in and get my car and go home. you know, i asked -- so first they were putting me on administrative leave. the next call was shirley, we're going to have to ask you to

resign. and then the white house wants you to resign. because i'm asking them, what happened? this is just so unbelievable. it would have been one thing for them to put me on administrative leave and then look into it. but they went from administrative leave directly into asking me to resign. >> so obviously you still feel the white house has some explaining to do. meanwhile the usda, the secretary of agriculture has offered you a new job that you're thinking about. what can you tell us about this job? >> you know, it's -- it's discrimination happens in the usda. that's why there are lawsuits by black farmers, hispanic farmers, native american farmers, women farmers. and it's there, because the agency that never deals with the people who call it. no one lost their job because they're discriminated against a

black farmer or a native american farmer or a hispanic farmer or a female farmer. those individuals, many of them, some have retired, but many of them are still there. i would not want to be that individual that the department and everyone is looking to to solve the issue of racism in usda. it takes a lot more to get that job done. >> so i'm just asking very quick by, because we're running out of time, what is the job exactly that they'd like you to do? >> they talked about the office of outreach, and me dealing with discrimination within the agency. >> and you're inclined to say no to that? >> at this moment, i would think i would be. >> so as far as you're concerned at this point you're out of the usda for good? >> yeah. i haven't seen the offer, you know. the secretary said he would e-mail it to me. i have not seen it yet. so before i say no totally, i would like to look at that to weigh in. >> ms. sherrod, we appreciate very much you coming in. >> thank you. >> thank you for everything.

>> thank you. >> best of luck to you. >> thanks. >> let's get a check of the rest of the top stories. ann curry is over at the news desk. ann, good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. hello, everybody. also in the news this morning there's a dramatic rescue operation still under way this morning in wyoming's grand teton national park. last night park rangers and a helicopter team removed 16 injured climbers from a mountainside after lightning struck the area. one climber was still missing, rescuers said that all of the victims suffered injuries related to the lightning strike, including burns and trauma. we've got now on the telephone jackie skaggs, public affairs officer for grand teton national park. jackie, good morning. what can you tell us about how hopeful the rescuers might be about finding the climber who is still missing? >> good morning, ann. we are hopeful, but given the darkness and the long hours overnight that this person was out on the mountain, we are uncertain as to his condition this morning. at first light, which will be about 6:30 our time, it's now just about 5:15, we'll start looking for this individual again.

we have rangers who spent the night on the mountain at a rescue hut on the lower saddle at the 11,600 foot elevation. they will begin a ground search. we'll also get a ship in the air to start doing an aerial search for this person when we have enough light this morning. we are always hopeful that we will find someone who's been able to survive the night, but we are uncertain what happened to him. he went out of sight of his climbing party yesterday during the crux of the storm. he went over a cliff, so we are uncertain as to his condition this morning. >> and what can you tell us about the condition, jackie, that he might have been in overnight, as people were not able to look because of darkness? was it cold? what kind of conditions would he have had to face? >> yes, i know the rest of the country is hot, but here in grand teton national park, and especially up on the teton range, overnight temperatures generally dip into the 30s. so it was likely mid 30s, maybe upper 30s, last night on the

mountain. it's a shear mountain, and some of you may know that it's a very impressive mountain. the grand teton has shear walls, it's exposed territory. it's rugged territory. the fact that he went over a cliff or a rock, described by his climbing party, tells us that he might have taken a fall. we don't know how far he might have fallen, and so once again, his condition is unknown, and it's unfortunate, but with the darkness last night, one of the things we always considered is the safety of our rescuers. we wanted to get as many people off the mountain as we could, but keep our rescuers safe. >> okay. >> therefore we had to suspend operations with darkness last night. >> all right. jackie skaggs, thank you so much this morning for giving us this information on this developing story. thank you. the california highway patrol said at least five people aboard a greyhound bus were killed this morning when the bus hit a divider and tree in

downtown fresno. the bus was traveling from los angeles to sacramento. overseas markets are mostly lower following wednesday's 109-point drop for the dow. cnbc's erin burnett is at the stock exchange. ben bernanke rattled investors with his assessment of the economy yesterday. >> he certainly did, and it confirmed some of the america's fears. he called the outlook, quote/unquote, unusually uncertainly. he called it the worse jobs market since the great depression and would take a significant amount of time to get the 8.5 million jobs lost over the past few years. that cast shadows over very good earnings news in corporate america. ebay and continent airlines today, but. back to you. >> thank you so much, erin. things are looking up for five american white pelicans

that were injured before the bp oil spill, but then were this s thought. white pelicans were injured before the bp oil spill but then were trapped by the oil. they had a checkup wednesday at their new home at a zoo in chicago. it looks like one was getting a massage. let's go back to meredith. deep tissue, i say. always go that direction. >> all right, ann, thanks very much. connecticut, parts of long island to some big storms yesterday. st>>g biormsz moving through, but the goodeg nws is that's moved through and that's good. but we're also looking at what's happening in the tropics. a tropical wave could strengthen in the next few days. it will bring heavy rain to south florida. it will affect the oil spill site. and then as we look to the coastal areas, we are looking also, as we move into the u.s., sou can see a slight risk of trong storms from chicago all the way back into montana, possibility of isolated tornado or two from iowa on into

wisconsin. a lot of rain developing with this system. some areas could be seen >> good morning. i'm craig herrera. lots of 50s everywhere. if you are expecting someone to come into sfo today, some flights are delayed up to 52 minutes. that cold air is going to be with us. we continue to get more mild conditions as we go through the afternoon. today, highs only into the 70s and 80s. we'll see a couple of 90s well closer to the central valley. we'll get some of those. by tomorrow, we continue with cooler conditions as well. more fog tomorrow morning. be prepared for that if you'll be at the beaches. stay nice and warm. weather. matt? >> all right, al, thanks very much. as al just mentioned a storm churning in the >> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> thanks very much. as al just mentioned, a storm churning in the tropics has crews working on the disaster in the gulf preparing to temporarily evacuate. but there are some people still hard at work. nbc's carey sanders is in the

gulf on board a ship that is used to track oil beneath the surface. kerry, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. i'm on the deck of the research vess vessel. people from florida university as well as the ship the noah to help with this sub megrgs. it will go into the water, and what they are looking for is more oil. >> scientists have dived 20 times a day to depths of 2,000 feet. here, deep in the gulf of mention co, where moray he'leel rare glass sponges, there is

cautious optimism. so far they have found no visible signs of oil. >> you haven't seen any large plumes of oil? >> thankfully. >> what about the microscopic specs seen in the gulf? >> we haven't yet. >> to see if the specks of oil have traveled this far, they are gathering oil at various depths and they're harvesting sponges, because living sponges are filter feeders, pumping hundreds of gallons of water a day. >> so by taking samples of any of the sponges at the sites we dove, we might be able to determine if they're carrying any spots of oil. >> the reason the oil might come here is because of the ocean highway. oil caught in that current could wind up hundreds, even

thousands, of miles away. that's why the harvard oceanographic branch are looking to get a picture of the gulf. it's what scientists call a baseline, so if the oil shows up, the government will be able to force bp to clean up the damage even here, where few people have even ventured. >> what we're doing is the before. we're finding out what this ecosystem is like right now before any impact, so that if there is any impact later on, you can compare the before and after, so that the quote, unquote, offending party can restore that ecosystem back to the way it was before the offense occurred. >> number 21 deploys shortly, and i'm going to be sitting right to the right there in the submersible. we're going to go down to 300 feet at times, at times down to 3,000 feet. >> kerry, are you at all kla

claustrophibic. >> i don't think so. but i guess i'll find out. >> that's something the rest might want to know. kerry, good luck to you. actress juliana "know the species, know the stain." lanolin-free coat, i know it's an alpaca. walks in here, looks says "hey look, it's a llama!" cleaning the stain like he would a llama stain. time he's wasting. ♪ call 1-800-steemer

just ahead, would you have liked to have been on this boat? a couple too close for comfort encounter with a 40-ton whale. >> the answer is no. we're going to talk with them exclusively. but first these messages and a check of your locaws a we

good morning. time now 7:26. i'm brent cannon check with mike with a look at the commute. >> a tough time most recently. stevenson boulevard. the southbound side. a couple of lanes blocked for about 40 minutes. all lanes cleared now. the slowing toward stevenson and auto mall parkway. slow out of newark. that's not much better as you are heading towards the san mateo bridge. southbound side very slow. westbound okay. eastbound with the headlights. reports of a car fire on the bridge. >> tough to make out with all

that thick fog in place. that will take awhile to burn off. sfo and delays for arriving flights up to 52 minutes because of low ceilings. look at the highs today. cold and mild for this time of year. 77 san jose. 74 san rafael. 60 san fransco. we'll continue with this trend through the weekend. so mild conditions. still afternoon sunshine for us. and then look at that. a little cooler next week. risk for sudden cardiac death.t i was 23 years old, i wasn't overweight. i never dreamed this would happen to me. when the doctor told me i had three blocked arteries, i felt like i was punched in the gut. i found out that one in three women die from heart disease. how did i not know that?

we have a developing news update for you on something we've been following all morning long. new live pictures over the scene of a deadly greyhound bus crash in fresno. at least six people now dead. the bus and two other vehicles crashed. it happened on highway northbound 99 after 2:00 this morning. some of those lanes are still closed because they've got to investigate. now the bus hit a car and then veered off the freeway. but it did not roll over. it did hit a large eucalyptus tree. the bus was headed to sacramento. right now back to the "today" show.

7:30 now on a thursday morning. 22nd day of july, 2010. nice morning to be lined up out on the plaza. temperatures a little more on the mild side. humidity down a little bit. just temporary, though. going back up again tomorrow. tomorrow john mayer comes to our plaza as part of our summer concert series in our 8:30 half hour. grammy award winner will light it up. a lot of people in the area, these folks, they should stick around for the show tomorrow morning. meanwhile, inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira. just ahead an incredible photo that's making headlines around

the world. a whale watcher captured this image of the whale leaping from the water next to a sailboat. now it leapt out of the water next to the sailboat but eventually landed on that sailboat. it crushed parts of the boat. luckily the couple on board escaped unharmed. i look at this photo here and i think why didn't the whale, if we can put the photo back up, why didn't the whale pick on the big boat in the background? we're going to talk to the couple that was on board exclusively. >> it knew it could take the sailboat. also some other images getting a lot of attention. plus size model crystal wren say recent photos of her were retouched to make her appear much thinner than she actually is and she is fighting mad about it. this morning she's here to speak out about the controversy. >> and it now has a remarkable 500 million users but who actually owns the rights to the multibillion dollar empire that is facebook? we'll tell you about a new fight brewing over that. >> but we're going to begin this half hour with new details in the murder of aspiring actress and model julianna redding who

prosecutors claim was the victim of a murder for hire plot. nbc's kristen welker is in los angeles with the latest. good morning to you. >> good morning to you, meredith. prosecutors weighed out some of their case in a los angeles courtroom to try to keep their prime suspect, kelly sue park, behind bars. they say she was part of a california doctor's plot to have his ex-girlfriend killed. >> was a crime of passion, in fact it was a crime of dispassion. it was cold, it was calculated -- >> reporter: during a heated hearing, prosecutors tried to increase the bail of 44-year-old kelly sue park. they say she is dangerous, and responsible for killing 21-year-old julianna redding two years ago. park has already been charged with murder for the crime. >> kelly park's dna was on julianna redding's coat. her dna was on julianna redding's clothing. >> reporter: in 2008, redding, an aspiring actress was starting to make her mark in hollywood.

she landed a small role in an independent movie. showed up in a music video. and was named one of maxim magazine's hometown hotties. things were looking up for redding, until the night a murderer knocked on the door of her apartment. >> julianna redding's body was badly beaten, there was a terrible cut on her foot, and she had been strangled so fiercely that a bone in her neck was crushed. >> reporter: according to prosecutors, it was all a part of a murder-for-hire plot. they say the person behind it was this man, dr. uweda, who had been called a person of interest, but who recently left the country for business, according to his attorney, who will not disclose his location. the doctor is a spinal surgeon who specializes in workman's comp injury cases at clinics like this one in the san fernando valley. prosecutors say uweda had paid park more than $300,000, including a $113,000 payment just last month. an attorney for park says she was acting as his real estate

broker and earning big commissions on her sales. >> -- that he had a quote female james bond, a woman that he could rely on to take care of business. >> reporter: so what was his motive? investigators believe dr. uweda dated julianna redding for a short time, and also had a business deal with redding's father, but her father backed out of the deal days before the murder. lawyers for the accused hit woman say park is not involved in. >> this is a defendant who has no prior record of any crime. >> reporter: park's lawyer also says the murder of a beautiful model just doesn't fit the profile of a professional hit. >> this homicide, from what i've seen, far from bearing the earmarks of being some sort of contract killing or assassination killing or sending a message killing, looks to me like a rage killing. >> reporter: now, after hearing

arguments, the judge agreed to raise park's bail from $1 million to $3.5 million. she has already pleaded not guilty, but prosecutors are still concerned that dr. uweda will try to pay for park's freedom and find a way to get her out of the country. all after what prosecutors say was a late-night meeting between two strangers that ended with a promising young actress dead. meredith? >> all right, kristen welker thank you, very much. and now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> thanks, meredith. and the heat wave continues throughout a good portion of the country. you take a look from missouri, iowa, all the way down to parts of the carolinas and louisiana. we've got heat warnings and heat advisories. temperatures anywhere from 5 to 10 degrees above normal. afternoon highs today will reach up into the upper 90s all the way down to dallas to tallahassee up to washington, d.c. and new yorcity, and the rest of the country, the really only cool spot the northern plains, the pacific northwest and northern new england. >> a good morning.

i'm craig herrera. not a lot of heat for the bay area. you have to thod the central valley. pushing all the fog inland. cool breeze continues to give us mild conditions. temperatures have been and will be below average through the weekend. 60 san francisco today. 77 in san jose and 73 through napa. seven-day forecast, expect a lot of the early morning fog burning off late. in the morning for afternoon sunshine. again, 70s and 80s for highs. >> that's your latest weather. you want to check your weather any time of the day or night go to the weather channel on cable or go to the new weather.com. matt? >> all right, al, thanks very much. now to a couple in south africa with a whale of a story to tell. literally. take a look at this photo. ralph and paloma westerner were on their sailboat when a whale crash landed on the deck of their sailboat. they're with us exclusively. paloma is in cape town, south africa, ralph is joining us by

phone. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> good morning, america. >> almost. paloma, let me start with you. i just want to go over something that we are hearing a lot of questions about. is this photo legitimate? there's been no photo shopping of this image or anything like that? >> it is definitely legitimate. we were on the boat and we saw the whale coming out, and we saw it. it's legitimate. it hasn't been photo shopped. >> all right, you guys were doing a little whale watching. i understand you had been following one whale for about an hour or so. you cut your engines so that you could be more quiet. did you follow all protocol? i mean, was there any fear on your part, paloma, that perhaps you were getting too close to this whale? first of all, we didn't cut the engines, we actually were sailing, so we didn't have the engine on, and we were not

following the whale. we saw it about 400 meters away from us, and it was slipping its tail into the water, so we just watched it, and, no. we were not following it. we were just watching it. >> ralph, the image that is breathtaking is the one that we're looking at right now. i don't know if you can see it but it's the image of the whale actually coming out of the water, i mean right next to the sailboat, and what always gets me when i see that image, i go back to it, is look how close you were to this whale. i mean you were at the whole wheel of this boat. what were your thoughts when you saw this thing coming out of the water? >> well, you must remember that that was the third and final breach of this particular whale. the first time it breached about 400, 500 meters away from us. and a few seconds later it came up again halving that distance. and it seemed as though it would not be -- we would not be on a

collision course. you must remember, we were not under power, we were under sail and we were at right angles to this whale. and i never for a minute thought this thing would hit the boat at all. i thought, if anything, our previous experience had been that whales actually dive under and, you know, come up on the other side of the boat at some stage. because we have a lot of whales. and blow me down, suddenly i saw this huge monster shape come up out of the water on my port side and yeah, that's it. i mean, it just happened in an instant. it was quite frightening. i had barnacles because they have lots of barnacles on them. and there was lots of skin, about a centimeter thick, but no blood and no blubber. so clearly it just had -- it was bruised and so on, and then slipped back. >> well, i just am amazed that

the boat did not sink, which is very fortunate for the two of you. obviously this photo taken by a whale watcher a short distance away. it is certainly getting an awful lot of play all around the world. we're happy the two of you are okay this morning. >> yeah, no. we were very fortunate. >> it was an awesome experience. we wouldn't want to repeat it, but >> i can imagine, nobody would want to go through it again. ralph morrison and pal ohm yeah werner, thank you very much. first of all, it's a little difficult. we had people in different parts of the country there. but, i mean, if you're the guy standing at the wheel -- >> because -- >> you're probably not going to wear that outfit. that is a tough experience. >> yeah. >> it's one angry whale. i don't know what -- >> i don't think so. curious. apparently the whale had surfaced, he thought it would go underneath and sure enough, no. >> well, they're both lucky, that's for sure.

>> up next, the most unlikely candidate for u.s. senator we've ever come across. we're going to hear from him.

we are back at 7:43 with south carolina's surprising democratic candidate for u.s. senate. al vin greene won his primary without campaigning. nbc's ron mott is in south carolina with more on that. ron, good morning to you. >> reporter: meredith, good morning to you. alvin greene literally came out

of nowhere to win this nomination last month and he did so without making a single stump speech. over the weekend, though, he broke his silence at this school behind me and now says he's ready to tell the people of south carolina why he should be their next senator. he's running as the quintessential outsider. yet suddenly, if not remarkably, finds himself very much part of the "in" crowd. fielding calls from media outlets around the country, all trying to find out who in the world isal vin greene? an unemployed and unlikely 32-year-old who is now the democratic candidate for the u.s. senate in south carolina. >> i really want to just make sure that i get my message across to folks. and i'm the best candidate in this united states senate race in south carolina, and that i have real plans for jobs, education and justice. >> reporter: all this follows greene's stunning democratic primary victory in june. >> hard work. >> reporter: but you did no

work. stunning because greene held no rallies, ran no ads, and gave no speeches until his first this past weekend. >> my campaign is about getting south carolina and america back to work. >> reporter: greene put up the $10,000 filing fee to run himself and somehow beat an established politician, winning name recognition that most newcomers like him can only dream about. despite his unlikely success, the democratic party here has largely shunned him. >> they're coming around. they are supporting me. they just slowly coming around. >> reporter: but republican jim dementhe has little to fear says one analyst. >>al vin greene has absolutely no chance of winning this seat and there are very few democrats in the state of south carolina that would have any chance of winning this seat. >> reporter: don't tell that to greene, whose political aspirations have been building for years. >> this is a president collect from washington to nixon.

>> reporter: presidential figurines have lined the book shelf in the family den ever since he was a boy. his political science degree a decade ago lines a nearby wall. >> i thought about this for awhile now as a soldier in the army. >> reporter: but for as much of a novice as he is, greene is adept at staying on message, no matter the question. the murky reason behind his military discharge after 13 years? >> we need justice in the army, and the united states and the air force, too. >> reporter: his pending felony obscenity charge? >> it goes back to my issues of jobs, education and justice. >> reporter: then there's the matter of his ideas. a minor league baseball team had hand shaking and a little fun about greene's proposal to create green jobs by making alvin greene action figures. >> we have to reclaim my country from the terrorists and communists. >> reporter: look at everything happening in the world, he adds to that one. >> we can't let my opponent keep this country hostage, and i have

real plans for jobs, education, and justice, and my opponent has nothing. >> reporter: if nothing else, his opponent and the voters in south carolina, are ready for a most unusual race. >> you got my vote. >> i don't feel like he's really, really qualified. >> reporter: well, republican jim deminute is well out in front in the polls and in the money, but alvin greene remains undeterred saying this race will be about the issues and not about money. >> all right, ron mott, thank you very much. up next, could the founder of facebook be forced to give up 84% of the world's most popular social networking site? that brewing battle right after this. @p@p@0@pjú

facebook has now reached a major milestone. the social networking site now has more than 500 million members worldwide. that's more than the population of the u.s., mexico and france combined. but a big battle is now brewing

over who actually owns it. here's cnbc's scott cohen. >> reporter: half a billion friends. >> it's an exciting milestone for the facebook community. >> reporter: but facebook founder mark zuckerberg also has enemies. the social networking site is one of the most popular destinations on the web, turning zuckerberg into a bona fide media mogul. but two weeks ago while zuckerberg attended a meeting of fellow media moguls in sun valley idaho, he was hit by a lawsuit by upstate new york businessman paul seglia who claims he is the rightful owner of 84% of facebook, a business, that by one estimate, is worth as much as $35 billion. paul arjenierrri is his attorney. >> i can offer to mr. zuckerberg himself personally or any of his attorneys, i'd be happy to show him the original contract. >> reporter: according to the lawsuit, zuckerberg signed this contract in 2003, when he was a

freshman at harvard, calling for seglia to pay zuckerberg $1,000 for some computer programming and another $1,000 for controlling interest in a new website zuckerberg was working on called the facebook. but on abz zuckerberg disputed the document. >> we're quite sure that we did not sign a contract that says that they have any right to ownership over facebook. >> reporter: a facebook spokesman says the contract may have been forged, which seglia's attorney denies. last year the new york attorney general sued seglia for fraud involving a wood fuel business. it's not the first time someone's tried to get a piece of mark zuckerberg, who is just 26 years old. three former harvard classmates sued him in 2007, claiming he stole their idea. the case settled out of court last month, for a reported $65 million. >> you guys invented the facebook? >> reporter: this fall a movie about facebook is unlikely to paint a flattering picture. >> he stole our website. >> they're saying we stole the facebook -- >> i know what it says.

>> so did we? >> reporter: those who follow the company say it goes with the territory. >> it is the social network right now. there is no viable competitor. really, i guess the only way to break into the chain is to either work with facebook or try and get a piece of it somehow. >> reporter: even with more than 500 million friends, it can be lonely at the top. for "today," scott cohn, cnbc, new york. >> just ahead, the plus-size model who's furious over her pictures being retouched. >> we're going to talk to local a telor ur local news anokd look at your weather.

good morning once again. time now 7:56. i'm brent cannon. we still have a sluggish commute through fremont. >> slow southbound 880. crawls again heading toward the dumbarton. slow through mission boulevard from 880 and 680 as well. there it is. slowing drive through the sunol grade. because of the construction zone there. clouds not playing a factor as far as that point of view. >> look at the headlights on as well. still mist in some of those spots. a little sunshine later this afternoon. the highs, 70s 80s. rather mild. tonight that fog comes back on in. we'll ton get more cooler conditions. mild conditions through the weekend. 60 for a high today san francisco. only some 70s and low 80s for

the south end of the bay. mostly in the mid and upper 70s. seven-day forecast. the same through the weekend. next week we get more of the cool air coming in and we cool off a bit more.

arson investigators are trying to figure out how seven cars were burned in a long-term parking lot at sfo this morning. they're checking out the damage now. the flames spread from car to car starting at about 12:30 this morning. so far, investigators do not

know exactly how it started. >> right now, we don't know. that's what the fire department wants the arson team to look at. it's highly unusual for a car parked in the middle of an open-air parking lot on a cool, damp night to ignite on its own. >> they are also looking at dmv records trying to contact the oenchs those cars. more local news coming up in a half an hour. the "today" show returns in less than a minute. we'll see you back here in a bit.

eight clock now on this thursday morning, july 22nd, 2010. we have a fabulous crowd in rockefeller plaza. waving at loved ones back home. tomorrow they should come back because john mayer will be here, live on the plaza. i'm meredith vieira along with matt lauer and al roker. coming up, a plus-size model. take a look at this picture. it looks okay, right? well, not to her. she says the photo was doctored, it is retouched and she's furious about it because she is a plus-size model. she doesn't like that that was done. we're going to talk to her about it.

>> okay. also ahead, between lessons and practices, and then games, how much is too much time for kids to be involved in sports? and how do you know if it's actually starting to interfere with time with the family? we're going to different into that and talk to one family who finally said enough is enough. >> and they're not your daughter's jeans but they're not quite mom jeans either. how to find the right pair of denim for the mature woman. >> that would be me we're talking about. >> i aspire to wear mom jeans. >> by the way, you're not that mature. >> stop it. don't you laugh. >> he just means that you're youthful. >> that's exactly what he meant. let's get a check of the hour's top stories from ann curry at the news desk. >> all right, meredith, thank you so much. good morning once again, everybody. on this broadcast this morning, the agriculture department employee forced to resign by the obama administration this week said that she would like to speak to the president about what happened. shirley sherrod was accused of racism after a conservative website posted an ed itted video of her comments on race

relations, which allowed them to be taken out of context. sherrod has now received apologies from the white house and the agriculture secretary tom vilsack. speaking to meredith earlier this morning sherrod was asked if she feels she deserves an apology from president obama? >> i think i do. >> you do? >> mm-hmm. >> an apology? >> well, you know, he is the president of the united states of america. i've received the apologies that are important. i really would not want the president to apologize to me. i would love to have a conversation with him, though. >> sherrod also said at this point she doesn't think she will accept the new job offer from the agriculture department, but she has yet to see the offer. 2.5 million americans whose unemployment checks have run out could start receiving them again as early as next week. that's because the senate passed the bill wednesday restoring benefits to people who've been out of work for at least six months. president obama is ready to sign

this bill after a final vote by the house today. republicans are already talking about repealing that sweeping financial reform bill signed into law by president obama on wednesday. while the president says the law will further watch practices on wall street, republicans say it will hurt small banks and the businesses that rely on them. after saying for 18 months that he would clear his name on the witness stand, former illinois governor rod blagojevich did not take the stand at his federal corruption trial, and the defense rested wednesday without calling a single witness. nbc's john yang is at the white house in chicago with more on this story. john, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. that was supposed to be the big moment, rod blagojevich on the stand in his own defense. but this morning, this trial is essentially over, not with a bang, but with a whimper. for 18 months, it was rod blagojevich's mantra. >> i expect to be fully vindicated and clear my name. i can't wait to take the stand and testify and get the truth

out. every day goes by i get closer to taking that stand myself. i will prove my innocence and i will testify. >> reporter: but when the time came for his highly anticipated testimony, he decided it wasn't such a good idea after all. >> i've learned a lot of lessons from this whole experience and perhaps maybe the biggest lesson i've learned is that i talk too much. >> reporter: defense lawyers didn't call any witnesses at all. they say prosecutors didn't prove their case that blagojevich tried to trade president obama's senate seat for personal gain. that means the only thing jurors will hear from the former illinois governor is from secret fbi wiretaps. >> i've got this thing, and if [ bleep ] golden, and i'm just not giving it up [ bleep ]. >> out of his own mouth came these damning words, with no explanation from him in court. that's devastating. >> reporter: blagojevich said he wanted to take the stand, but was convinced not to by his father's own defense team, which itself was split. it simply came down to an

argument between an old bull and a young toad and the old bull won. >> reporter: jurors will be back here at the federal courthouse on monday for closing arguments, and then they'll retire to decide the fate of rod blagojevich. ann? >> all right, john yang this morning. john, thanks. opponents of arizona's new immigration law get their day in court today. a federal judge in phoenix will hear two lawsuits seeking to block the law from taking into effect next week. one says the law are promote racial profiling. the judge hasn't said when she will make her ruling. forecasters say a storm in the caribbean will likely move into the gulf of mexico over the weekend. teams working on the ruptured oil well in the gulf are taking precautions, bringing their efforts to a near standstill until the storm passes. it's the first for latin america. argentina's president cristina fernandez signed a new law on wednesday legalizing same-sex marriage. the first ceremony is set for august 13th. and now here's britain williams with what's coming up

on "nbc nightly news." hey, brian. >> hey, ann, good morning. a month ago you may recall we reported on a big oyster processing plant that shut down because of the oil in the gulf. the employees who've lost their livelihoods, a lot of our viewers responded, and we have some good news in our "making a difference" segment for folks tonight. that's tonight on "nightly news." we'll look for you then. ann, for now, back to you. >> all right, brian, that's terrific news. it is now 8:06. let's go get a check of the weather from al. >> thanks, ann. we got a big family reunion. what's the family reunion? >> 150 of us. >> 150 of you? >> yes. >> where are all the guys? the men are at the hotel! probably getting some peace and quiet. let's check your weather, see what's going on. no dummies there. san antonio, texas, news 4, scattered showers and thunderstorms. 92 4,degrees. as you take a look, we've got some showers along the gulf coast of texas. keeping an eye on that

disturbance. that's going to mean some rain coming in for florida. with the strong storms from northern indiana all the way back to the dakotas. some clouds in the pacific northwest. high surf in southern california. showers through the southwest and showers in northern new >> good morning. i'm craig herrera, over san ho seshgs cloud cover over south enarea, bay area rather cool, temperatures running cooler than average, typically 60s and 80s, and 60s and 70s today with a couple 80s. cold around some warm i hope land spots like saratoga, only in the 60s, san francisco 70s and north end of bay, 76 in livermore. seven day forecast, still cool air coming through the weekend, we'll stay on the mild side. >> and we've got some cuties out here. what's happening? >> well, today is the farmer's insurance be a hero for babies

day which supports the march of dimes mission. give all families, healthy full-term babies. so basically everyone text 0222, donate $5 so we can all have healthy babies. >> mr. roker, thank you very much. when we come back the plus-size model who was upset because some of her photos were doctored to make her look thinner. we'll talk to her right after these messages.

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always celebrated her full-figured curves so when she realized that recent photos of her had been retouched to make her look thinner she was less than thrilled. we're going to talk to her in a moment, but first msnbc's tamron hall has the details. >> good morning, meredith. the second those photos of crystal were altered to transfer her from a size 10 to a size 2, a plus-size controversy was ignited. at a size 10, model crystal renn has a full-sized career, posing for top designers, appearing on magazine covers. a poster model for real women everywhere. in may, she spoke about it on "today." >> i've never let my size define me. i came into this, and i said, i'm going to be a model. i'm never going to let my size stop me. i just am. and i think that's the most important thing. and i think that's a really positive message. >> reporter: but in these new photos the proud plus-size model appears surprisingly thin. turns out the pictures, taken for an ad campaign, had been retouched. here's a videotape of crystal from the set, looking

full-figured. but in the public photos, she's super skinny. >> the retouching issue has always been around in the fashion industry. it's always a matter of how extreme certain places take it. >> reporter: in the new issue of "people" crystal says she's had enough. the plus-size beauty opens up about her own battle with anorexia and bulimia and says retouched photos like these send the wrong message to young women. >> she's known as a full-figured model and she also suffers from an eating disorder. she overcame that seven years ago and the last thing she wanted to do was have anybody think that either she had relapsed or she's falling under industry pressure. >> reporter: as for the photographer, nicolas ralston, he makes no apologies, saying on his blog, the minimal retouching that i did do, it's nothing you wouldn't see in any magazine today. there's nothing hidden about this. >> of course crystal is not the only celebrity who's been given a digital diet on magazine covers, it's happened to singer kelly clarkson and academy award winning actress kate winslet.

>> tamron hall, thank you very much. crystal is with us. ladies, good morning to you. >> thank you. >> crystal, just to be honest, when you walked into the studio, people looked at you and said, she's not a plus-size model. you have lost some weight, right? >> yes, i absolutely have. i basically started an exercise routine after seven years of being in recovery, i thought it was a great time as ever to start taking care of myself. and by introducing exercise back into my life. it was a time where eight hours in a day of hard, grueling exercise, you know, was normal. and i think that i'm in a place now where i think i can do it in a healthy way and i think that's really important. >> so but you do consider yourself still at this point a plus-size model? >> yes. because the thing is, is what the industry thinks is plus, and what the public thinks is plus is, you know, different things. and that's why we get all the confusion. and oftentimes anger. because i am plus what the norm is. you know, what i do is

basically, you know, you can be a size 8 all the way up to a 20. and that offers a lot of freedom because i'm finding, you know, in my personal life even but even through other girls who have told me their stories, women fluctuate. and with what i do i can fluctuate as opposed to what i had to be before. >> so, let's look at these photos. they were taken for a charity that funds art, fashion to fashion. when you first saw them, what did you think? >> well, when i first saw the pictures i have to say i was absolutely shocked. i think i sat in silence for a good five minutes because i knew nothing of the pictures. so when i was looking at the computer screen, that's not what i saw. so i was absolutely shocked and i don't think it's an accurate portrayal of my body in any way. i'm a size 10, and that is more like a size 2. >> and that's a picture of you after the fact sflp >> question yes. >> the photographer said he had some retouching done but that's normal. he also says it was minimal, and that he used a wide lens and he shot, i guess it was from above that makes you look slimmer.

that's just the nature of the business. >> absolutely. i think that, you know, you can have all of those things and you would get an image like that. i think that i'm known for my body, i'm proud of my body. and i absolutely understand a reasonable amount of retouching, if you want to smooth things out. but to change my body completely, and i think that that's not me. that's not what i'm about, that's not my message. >> so it's about the message, really? >> yes. >> you're concerned about what young girls looking at that picture, maybe even some of those who might be dealing with anorexia right now might think? >> yes, because i don't want them to think that my message isn'ted same. that i think only being thin is the only way to be beautiful. beauty is not a pants size. and that's what i'm about. and i think that it's about what i have to say. and how i live my life. which is in a healthy way, i believe, for me. and i think that's the most important thing. and i want them to know i'm healthy. >> this caused quite a controversy on the blogs. in your own blog you said it's mass hysteria. what were people saying? why were they so hysterical about this? >> i would hope there was at

least some legitimate concern for crystal's health. but i think mostly people felt maybe a sense of betrayal before they knew that the pictures had been retouched. i think that women have so few role models to look up to, public, widely accepted role models who portray beauty outside of something like this very narrow norm, they felt if now she clearly thinks that she needs to be skinny to be beautiful, i'm going to have to do that, too. that said, if crystal decides to lose weight in a healthy way, that's her prerogative, she doesn't deserve to have people jumping all over her because of it. >> except she's become the poster child for plus size. >> which i'm proud of. i'm super proud of this. i want to inform people that this is an option for models and for people to find role models to look up to. you know, there's freedom in what i do. and i'm -- it's something i'm very proud of. plus size, some people scoff at the name but i think, you know, it's amazing to even be a part of the whole thing. what i think would end the confusion if we just call each other, all the models just models. no more straight size. no more plus size.

because i think it's like us grens them. them against us. and that is absolutely not the way that women should look at each other. and i think if we did something like that, and that's where i'm going. that's where my message is going. i want to get rid of titles. because they demean women and there's no need for them. >> so just to wrap this up you are not losing weight because you're feeling pressure from the industry now to -- >> oh, absolutely not. no. it's funny, because people -- i either keep running into for work, don't you lose any weight. you know, that's carl lagger field and cindy levi, who is fantastic. it's great that you know you have these wonderful people supporting you. >> crystal, nice to see you again. >> nice to see you. >> thank you. nice to see you. and up next, what you should do when your kid's sport times cut into family times. we're going to tell you right after this. on monday, mary likes yellow. tuesday mary likes red. on wednesday mary likes orange. on thursday, pink. on friday mary likes green.

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this morning on parenting "today," family people between soccer, baseball, swim team, kids are busier than ever. so one california family featured in "the wall street journal" decided to do something about it. >> we have three boys, ages 18, 16 and 8, and they're active in all kinds of sports. water polo, lacrosse, basketball, soccer, you name it. >> travis started playing on a basketball team, which is his primary love. by the time he hit 10th grade this past year it was just all-consuming. in addition to playing on the school basketball team he wanted to keep going after the season was over and playing on an aa club team.

pretty much lasts for six, nine months. i can't even remember. and you travel all over the place. when we realized the incredible commitment that would go way past the basketball season, way outside of our own town, much less area code, it just didn't seem like a fit for us. we didn't want to sacrifice the other two kids for the sake of one kid. you're missing dinner together. you're missing what the other kids are doing. it really got to be out of balance, and balance is really what we would like. >> my concern is you're in school for academics, and your health is important and your family's important. you've got to be doing academics, personal health and family first. >> linda pierce is the editor in chief of "family circle" magazine. michelle borba is an educational psychologist and parenting expert and the author of "the big book of parenting solutions." good morning. >> good morning. >> this is balance that a lot of families are trying to keep but if your kids love sports, my kids love sports, what do you do, just take them away from them? >> no, you don't. and that was my family. that family mirrored my family.

and it is very individual to families. if your kids are having fun, that's all that matters. if you decide that they're not having fun, if they start getting stressed about it, then you know it's too much. >> but what if one child is having fun excelling and traveling all over and it's detracting from the other kids and the family time they have. >> there you go. and that becomes the test in life. you've got three tests. one of them is the family test. is it interacting and really, the siblings, is it causing rivalry? the wallet test? is it too much of a drain? and most importantly the kid test. you've got to keep looking at that kid and making sure that there's still that glorious thing called passion. he loves it, and then keep going. >> what about skill level? okay? do you let your child get carried away, traveling all around the region, to play a sport, unless you take in real stock of whether that child has talent to go further in that sport? or does that not even matter? >> its shouldn't matter. first of all, you know how drastically different kids' growth rates are. so if you have a kid who is amazing at 12, chances are

everyone else is going to catch up by the time they're 15 and 16. so that kind of doesn't matter. and also, keep in mind that less than 1% of kids make it to the pros, so that should never be the goal. >> matt, think about as a rubber band. what your whole goal is to stretch the kid from where they are, stretch, stretch, stretch without snapping. and the real goal as a parent is to make sure that the expectations are there. they're realistic, but that passion and that love is still there. >> the problem is, of course, that a lot of parents live vicariously through their kids and they want this more than the kids. >> exactly. that's why you've got to keep checking your feet. are you standing behind your kid pushing or is your kid in front of you pulling? >> and the other thing real quickly is there are some great benefits to kids participating in individual and team sports. >> here's what you want. you want your kid to develop a lifelong love of fitness and health. okay? and that should be the ultimate goal. but here's the scary part is 70% of kids drop out of organized sports by the time they're 13. this is bad. and a lot of it has to do with overexcited parents. >> it's balance. it's all about balance. thanks very much, ladies.

appreciate it. and just ahead, jeans that work with any body type. we're going to have that. but first, your local news and a look at your local forecast. >> good morning. time 8:26. i'm brent cannon. check on the commute and the toll plaza. >> there is backup there. we expect to see that this time of day but goes back to the end of the parking lot and approach, only 21 minutes registering on travel times off the bridge down through richmond and berkeley and emeriville, nice drive. we take tout map, shows south bay, northbound direction, minor slowing. 87 into downtown, 101 approaching 680, 280 and later today, craig, music in the park. >> they played with the boss.

we'll see cooler conditions, mild this afternoon across the south end of the bay. most 50s, a lot of fog out there, cloud cover, look at the highs, 60s and 70s, if you head to the beaches, you note rknow routine this time of year. cooler next week. we'll be right back.

>> transit riders may need to get ready for canceled routes and longer drives. the sick-out will continue for a

fourth straight day. about 2450 operators called in sick yesterday offer what they say is in an unfair contract. after failed negotiations sunday, ac transit imposed a new contract on employees that changes work rules and charges more for health insurance. ac transit says those changes are needed to close its massive budget crisis. the union denies this is a sick-out protest. there will be a union meeting in oakland for hundreds of workers this morning at 10:00. more news in half hour. see you back here in a bit.

8:30 now on a thursday morning. it's the 22nd day of july, 2010. got a nice group of people here on the plaza. it's a pretty day. temperatures a little more manageable. humidity is down, and hopefully this kind of weather will last until tomorrow when we've got another great summer concert out here on the plaza. john mayer taking to our concert

stage in our 8:30 half hour. come on down, check it out. check it out. out on the plaza i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira, al roker and ann curry. coming up in this half hour, one of our favorite segments from bow to wow. another group of dogs, some eclectic. they're in need of a new look and most importantly, new homes. and we're going to show you those dogs in just a little while and hopefully you'll pick up the phone and make them very happy courtesy of jill rappaport. >> are you going to call them? >> well, you don't call them directly. you call us and we put you in contact with the dogs. >> and every dog has been adopted so far. >> also coming up -- >> it is amazing. and jill does a great job. also, a woman may age going to look for jeans, to fit in, you just can't find ones that are right for you. >> what are you looking for? >> well, you're looking for -- you don't want the mom jeans but you can't wear your daughter's jeans anymore. but there are jeans that

designers are designing for women my age, 50 and over, because we are the number one buyers of jeans in the country, believe it or not. >> and they're -- >> they are, great jeans for the older woman. >> you have a road trip this summer. are you doing that? >> oh, great. >> i'm taking a road trip. not with the kids, though. >> that's the best. >> are you? >> we are going to be doing it, and -- and -- and we've got some advice on, are we there yet? i'm bored. all that -- >> don't make me stop this car. >> anyway, we've got some advice on how to survive the family road trip. >> that's a great thing to do. also just really quickly, just say the science of spending is also coming up. but first we want to get a check of the weather. >> yes, we do. let's take a check ahead for the weekend. for saturday a risk of strong storms for the great lakes. sunny and hot out west, sizzling through the gulf coast. showers in new england. sunday -- sunday! -- more

showers in morning. hit or miss showers and thunderstorms, hot in the pacific northwest through the great lakes, and some rain through the southwest. good morning, i'm craig herrera. a lot of cloud cover, fog in places, delays at sfo for some arriving flights up to 52 minutes due to cloud cover and fog. that cool breeze will be with us, keeping highs on mild side. we'll get sunshine bay side and land, by the time you get to 12:00, temperatures still running cooler than average. not only today but through the weekend. and you see today, what we get tomorrow and next week, still a bit cooler. enjoy your day. >> and don't forget, check your weather any time of the day or night and find the right jeans for you, weather.com online or the weather channel on cable. >> okay. >> i'm itching, i think i have fleas. we have dogs here. from bow to wow coming up right after this. those people are happy

'cause they're gonna have a good time, and they've got extra money in their pocket. those are happy passengers. how much does it cost for those snacks again? nothing. at southwest airlines, when we have a sale, it's a sale. [ male announcer ] southwest airlines has flights starting at $49 one-way. book now only at southwest.com. [ rand ] how can you not want to get on the plane? come on and get on the plane. we're saving you money. now that's a plane full of happy. [ employees ] grab your bag. it's on. [ ding ]

we're back now with our series "from bow to wow". this is a great idea where we take dogs from a shelter, clean them up and hopefully find them great new homes. our resident animal lover jill rappaport is here with this month's batch of dogs. >> you can only use one board for this batch, perfection. it's a potpourri, matt. we have all sorts from big to small, from puppies to adults, but they all have one thing in common, they are all magnificent. july animal care control of new york city brought us a spectacular array of canines. starting with ice. who is anything but. this warm-loving boy is a young, husky mix with his breed trademark, the incredible eyes. unbelievable to find this beautiful guy in a shelter. >> 2 1/2 years old, another stray. we rescued. >> look at these eyes.

>> he'll do well outside a lot, you know, because he has a really thick coat. so, somebody that spends a lot of time outdoors, he'll be perfect for them. >> beautiful boy. ice, ice baby. from husky to petite. meet isabelle. a little jack russell, a little chihuahua, a lot of spunk. look at this little bundle of love. oh. >> 5-month-old chihuahua/jack russell mix. she was found in a park. >> reporter: even though she's little she's very energetic. she loves to kiss. there you go. and from miniature to major. meet beautiful bo. a puppy and a purebred to boot. unbelievable. 5-month-old purebred yellow lab. >> yep. >> reporter: and this is one of the most popular breezes. the sweetest dogs. great with kids. >> yep. >> reporter: why in the world would someone abandon this dog? >> i don't know. they actually bought him from the pet store and the owner said they had personal problems and

couldn't care for him anymore. he's absolutely beautiful. >> reporter: yes, you do. look at the size of these paws. this is going to be a big boy. and last up, an irresistible schnauzer, who loves to snooze and schmooze. now this love bug's name is hampton. 4-year-old schnauzer. very sweet and playful and schnauzers are extremely intelligent. >> yep, they're intelligent. we don't get a lot of schnauzers in. >> reporter: considering he was abandoned you think he'd be much more timid. >> oh, no. >> reporter: actually, considering his name, i think he's meant for life on the beach. for dogs, all longing for a loving home. >> really cute. >> richard from animal care and control of new york city. hi, richard, good to see you. >> hi. >> i know you've got a lot of dogs in shelters at this time of year. but also you want families who are thinking of adopting to realize that while they have a lot of free time right now, they're going to get busy again

in the fall. >> yep. you're on vacation, kids are home from school. when their schedules change come september they've got to remember they have their pet and their pet needs to be taken care of, walked and fed and everything, and make sure that they continue to be part of that family. >> all right. we've got four great dogs that we just mentioned. our first dog is eyes. let's take a look at ice's before picture and now meredith is going to bring ice out. now richard, this dog, does it have needs in terms of shouldn't be indoors? >> well, because of the breed he's really good in the cold weather, obviously. the cooler weather, but he needs a lot of exercise. he would be good in a home by himself. >> got the beautiful blue eyes. >> isn't he gorgeous? >> beautiful. >> how old again? >> he's 3 years old. >> 3 years old. beautiful. >> and meredith, thank you very much. nice job. way to control ice. our next door is hampton.

of all the dogs, this dog probably needed the most trimming. so there's the before picture. and tamron hall is here to bring hampton out now. what do we need to know. >> hampton is a little rambunctious. going to need a little house training. it's interesting when you get into the home he likes to curl up on your lap and relax and becomes a lap dog. he's very excitable, very rambunctious. he's going to need a little bit of leash training. >> you don't see these all that often. >> no, you don't see these all that often. >> but very affectionate. you literally, when you pick him up, he's a great baby. >> tamron, thank you very much. all right next we have bo. let's put bo's picture up. purebred yellow lab. >> puppy. >> and now our page brittany, who by the way, got all gussied up for the occasion. brittany, hi, bo. >> bo is only 5 months old. you can see how big he is.

he's going to need to be trained. he's losing his teeth now, so he needs a lot of chew toys for that teething. a lot of exercise, obviously. loves water like most labs. >> i'm actually surprised, richard, for a 5-month-old puppy, he's really -- >> lays down right on cue, huh matt? >> he's really good. sits on command now. >> he's so beautiful. >> oh, look at that. this is a great dog. >> oh. this is a great dog. >> obviously a lot of stage fright here. >> but again, can you believe the dogs that you can find at your shelter? incredible. >> brittany, nice job. thank you very much. appreciate it. and finally we've got little isabelle. let's take a look at isabelle at the shelter. she didn't need that much cleaning up, and we've got ann bringing isabelle out. richard, tell me about her. >> isabelle was also 5 months old. she is a terrier mix. she's a little timid at first

but warms up really quickly. you'll find once you get to know her she'll follow you around a little bit. the other thing is she's very agile. a lot of terriers are. >> she's adorable. >> and not yappy. not yappy. all. >> quiet. >> not yappy at all. >> what are you doing? >> let's bring all the dogs back out. brittany come out, meredith, tamron, bring them all out and again, richard, we can adopt these dogs, find out more. meredith, control your dog. contact us. all right, richard, thank you very much. jill, thank you very much. ladies and gentlemen, always nice to see isabelle. we're going to have much more ahead on a thursday morning right after these messages. [ man ] my perfect summer is grilling up a masterpiece.

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back at 8:44.

this morning on our special series, 50, living it, loving it. not your daughter's jeans. along with bathing suits, bra shopping, the search for the perfect pair of denim is among the top three most hated retail experiences for women. today's style editor bobbie thomas has solutions for finding a compromise between those dreaded mom jeans and the teeny look. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> truth is, my age group are the number one purchasers of jeans. >> absolutely. >> we still love them but we can't find the right fit. finally designers are noticing us. >> yes, and i want to thank all the baby boomers out there for helping us feel more comfortable not only in our skin but in our denim. you can have style and stretch together because there has been this big gap and i do think that retailers are noticing, beyond somebody who is going to buy a rigid, slim, low-waisted pair in your 20s, no one wants to step out in an ugly mom jean, either. >> exactly. what are the body issues that we have to deal with, older women? >> after 30 your muscle mass

decreases, your metabolism slows, and if you have children, you know, face it your hips expand, literally and won't move back. so there are biological issues that we have to just realize this is who we are. what i do love about the modern woman, especially the mature woman who is comfortable in her own skin, she is just demanding the comfort or she's not going to buy the jean. that's what's great. >> that's what's driving these new designs. >> absolutely. >> let's bring out our first look called the feel-good fit. our model is loreate. >> lorette looks like a supermodel to me. she has three children. one thing, she can't wear her daughter's jeans. her daughter is sheer with her today. she was saying the rise and especially the waistline for her. >> because it's so low. >> first the lowness but this has a very respectable rise. but inside the waist band is a hidden elastic waist band and this is the perfect waist by levi. it's pulling on it but it's smooth and comfortable. i always said muffin top existed because it had to.

anyone who's going to put on a pair of nonstretch waist band, i don't care if you're 25, it's going to go somewhere. this is a really great option, you can have lunch and you're fine. >> so this is a great look. >> laura, thank you, that's adorable. >> next category is cut for curves. women with a lot of those, obviously, and our model is danielle. what is she wearing and what body parts to these jeans address? >> first danielle, she was just fantastic. she said i want everyone to know i'm a proud size 12, i'm wearing white denim. >> and she's got beautiful curves. >> and her backside, she really wanted to make sure she could bend over. this is c.j. by cookie johnson, magic johnson's wife. she's a beautiful woman and had real curves and wanted to design a collection that she felt fit and flattered a woman. >> how does it work? >> it has -- it's still a stylish cut but she added enough fabric to cover your rear and hips but it's still really great. pocket placement and all the designer details you would expect. >> thank you. that looks fantastic.

now built-in support. that category. come on out, kathy. this is our model. >> again, gorgeous, what i love about these jeans they're $29.99 at macy's. this is style and co. . i have other friends who have pulled their jeans on over a foundation garment. that's uncomfortable. this has a built-in tummy control panel. and what's great is that it's the two in one and for under $30 i love this option at macy's. it's a fantastic, clean, basic boot cut that's going to be flattering on anyone. >> it looks fantastic. thank you very much, kathy. okay and our last category is called 360 stretch. our model is gloria. please come out. explain that name 360 stretch. >> gloria just celebrated her birthday. she is our top mama over 60. what's great is accent lycra is

the buzz word. this brand new line henry and bell wanted to go after women with more realistic body shapes. a lot of demographics are turning to the extra lycra because it moves in four directions and recovers nice so it doesn't bag out. gloria loves this. i think she's a supermodel as well. but she has very small legs and a waistline she always had a hard time matching. this jean is going to stretch in just the right places for her. >> it looks fantastic. why bother to go into a jean, your daughter's jeans when you have these options? all the models come on out. >> absolutely. >> it's fantastic. all these jeans can we find them in normal retail stores? >> normal stores. levis are $40. i wanted to range from premium down to the basic. >> the days of 300 plus jeans are over? >> it's tough for this economy. >> yeah, it's ridiculous, too. for $29 you can't beat that. thank you so much, bobbi. thank you, ladies. we're back in a moment.

[ meg whitman ] if we could only do one thing, putting people back to work would be the most important thing. the human cost of 2 million californians out of work is devastating, and i think, often, politicians forget about that because they don't see it every day. i see it every day. i think raising taxes on californians today is absolutely the wrong thing to do. we have to streamline regulations, we have to cut taxes for businesses, and then we have to stand up and compete. california needs to lead the nation again, and i think we can do it.

this morning on "today's family," the summer reading slide. studies show that even a little reading over the summer break helps kids retain what they learned during the school year. so we asked some familiar faces for advice. on returning to school stronger than ever. school may be out but the focus

on summer reading is in. who better than our resident al's book club kid critics sabrina, ava, spencer and miles, to tackle the issue of the summer reading slide. first stop, the new york public library. >> why do you think that it's important that kids should read overed summer? >> because it's a nine some none called summer slide. for every month that you don't read in the summer you lose most of the reading skills you just acquired at the end of your school year. >> reporter: many public libraries have summer reading programs which are great ways to keep up the good work. >> the library has a lot of things going on and i just wanted to know if things like this are going around the state and the country? >> yes. everybody should go to his or her public library to find out about their summer reading program. >> reporter: 5-year-old emma hook has become a master at reading. tackling 270 books last summer. winning tickets to a yankee game. >> what did your teacher think when you told her that you read 270 books last summer? >> she was impressed.

>> did she give you a thumb's up? >> yes. >> i'm going to give you a thumb's up, too. >> how many books are goug read this summer? >> 100 million. >> whoa that's a big, big number. you really want to read that much? >> yeah. >> reporter: speaking of millions, there are tons of ways to keep reading a priority over the summer. >> they're never too old for you to read aloud. >> reporter: sarah piccard taylor is with the teacher's college reading and writing project at columbia university and tours schools around the country talking to parents like this one at p.s. 29 in brooklyn. >> my number one piece of advice is to create a ritual around reading in your own home. magazines like "highlights" or "cricket," those are fun magazines for them to get in the mail. getting kids into a series that they love will make them want to read one book after another after another. >> three options -- >> reporter: audio stories are also a great option. like "tales to go" created by william and tracy wyle. >> this is a way to get more literature in their life.

you're on the go. >> it can be a family event in the car. moms and dads can listen too, and it can spark discussion. >> reporter: which is a great way to incorporate reading into your summer travel. >> bring along some things for the kids to read to help you almost plan the vacation. they could be reading museum maps, they could be reading the guide book. all that will keep them engaged in reading for a few minutes each day. >> hard sometimes to get your kids to read in the summer. >> yeah. what about that kid that ran -- read? >> 200 -- >> you're doing a little reading right now. >> what about this story about the british prime minister, david cameron, here in the united states, came to washington, then to new york, and flew business class commercial to get to the united states as opposed to a private plane, chartering a 747. >> i love it. >> i do, too. >> -- tighten to their belts so he's going to walk the walk here and do the same thing. saved what, $300,000? >> something like that. obviously had security issues. i mean they have to fly with

security and that might pose a problem for some u.s. lawmakers, for example, the president. >> i don't think we're going to end up seeing that. >> i don't know if i want the president doing it. >> but he is the equivalent, though. he's britain's prime minister. >> what are you saying? >> i'm saying it would probably screw up the airport. >> i was talking about this yesterday on some other network and they were saying some people don't like the idea because these people are targets and they don't want -- >> you don't want to be on the plane with the prime minister of great britain? >> right. especially now when people are mad. >> just trying to make a polite cool statement because he's really -- he's considered to be a slash and burn prime minister in terms of what he's going to do with the budget. anyway, so we'll see what happens. >> all right. >> fly coach.

good morning. time now is 8:56. i'm brent cannon. checking your morning commute. >> take you up to oakland where southbound side moving no problem, northbound, starting to see the slowdown from the coliseum and toward high street, things continuing to slow around there. map shows you there is a long

stretch of -- speeds at 30 at their worst. pretty much 40s throughout here, to the toll plaza. downtown nice. 580 looks good. typical slow spot there, as east shore freeway but not as bad as usual. more news after this.

bay area has new park you can enjoin today. kickoff celebration tonight for the dublin hills regional park, north of 580. it including, the point which gives hikers views of san francisco, mt. diablo and just about everything in between. trails open to hikers, bikers

and kweeequestrians, you can ad more there. another update in half an hour and "the today show" returns in about a minute. have a great morning. see you in a bit. is soft on cats. but deadly on fleas. the flea specialist, for effective, but gentle flea control.

we're back now with more of "today" on this thursday morning. it's the 22nd day of july, 2010. it's a bright, sunny day here in rockefeller plaza. a couple of things. we've got a huge crowd. secondly it fee a little more comfortable. after about a week or so of really, hot, humid weather. >> it's going to be warm but the humidity is down so it's going to be a lot more comfortable. >> it's comfortable enough to breathe right now. i'm matt lauer along with al roker and tamron hall. natalie is on assignment. coming up, more from the mel gibson saga. >> yeah, this thing just keeps

getting uglier. more allegations of abuse, we still have the rant on the voicemail. and now even mel gibson's ex, oksana grigorieva is being accused of extortion. we'll take a look at it. and another big question, matt and al, is has his career survive? will people go to see a movie starring mel gibson? we'll take a look at all of those elements. >> a lot of that could depend on whether it's proven or not proven. so we'll see. >> that's right. and then we've got that story about the whale. >> oh, the whale of a tale. you've seen this photo. this is apparently is not doctored. this is legitimate. a couple sailing off south africa tape town, a whale, a right whale, in the wrong place. breaches and lands on their sailboat. damage was extensive. but luckily, they were okay. we're going to talk to them exclusively. >> that is truly a case of "we're going to need a bigger boat." >> i know it's happened to me. i'm sure it's happened to you. you go to the mall, one of the big box stores to get one thing, you end up coming out with more

than you ever planned on doing. we're going to tell you how the psychology of spending, and how overspending triggers your -- your -- your mood. we're going to show you how to avoid these triggers and not overspend. and then if you're one of the millions of families who are going to be hitting the road this summer doing the family road trip but you're dreading it, well we've got the ways to get around it. and both for adults and the kids. so it's a whine-free ride. >> i always think about my childhood in the conversion van with my dog, tv rabbit ears and the chevy chase movie. that was my family, wally world. >> no question about it, are we there yet? let's get inside, ann's standing by at the news desk. >> hi, matt. thank you so much. good morning once again, everybody. in the news, the search is resuming this morning for a mountain climber who disappeared during a lightning storm in wyoming's grand teton national park. the dramatic rescue operation

began after the storm last night with park rangers and a helicopter team bringing down 16 other climbers, many of them injured by the lightning strikes. nato says two u.s. service members died this morning in a helicopter crash in southern afghanistan. dozens of ships are preparing to pull out of the gulf of mexico today as a tropical storm appears about to be headed their way. the storm now building in the caribbean has forced engineers working on bp's ruptured oil well in the gulf to stop their efforts as a precaution. the former agriculture department official forced to resign by the obama administration said on this broadcast this morning that she does not want the president to personally apologize, but she would like to speak with him. shirley sherrod, put under pressure tuesday after a conservative website posted an edited version of her speech on race relations, which portrayed her as a racist. sherrod has since received an apology from the agriculture secretary tom vilsack and she has been offered now a new position. the ink is hardly dry on that new financial reform bill and republicans are already talking about repealing it.

the president, who signed the bill on wednesday, said that it will protect consumers and rein in practices on wall street. but republicans say it will be a burden on small banks and businesses. a house vote today is expected to send president obama a measure to resume unemployment benefits to 2.5 million americans who have been out of work for at least six months. a lengthy standoff in the senate finally ended on wednesday, and some of those who lost their benefits can exeffect retro active payments as early as next week. there is a new call for natural childbirth for women who have had c-seconds. hoping to reverse hospital trends the american college of obstetricians and gynecologists is rewriting the guidelines for women who have had one or even two c-sections to encourage them to try labor in later pregnancies. this follows a similar decision by a panel of the national institute of health currently 30% of births in this country are c-sections. it's being called a significant victory for the rights of passengers on cruise ships. a bill requiring cruise ships to

improve passenger and crew safety and to crack down on crime at sea is now being sent to president obama for his signature. and as matt showed you a south american -- south african, rather, couple is lucky to be alive after a 40-ton whale jumped out of the water and crashed into their yacht on -- on -- on sunday. ralph mortis described the moment of terror in a phone interview this morning on this broadcast. >> blow me down, suddenly, i saw this huge monster shape come up out of the water on my port side. and yeah, that's it. i mean, it just happened in an instant. >> the whale broke the boat's mast and damaged the cabin before diving back into the water. but the couple is okay. it is now five minutes past the hour. let's go back outside to matt and tamron today. and al in the picture. >> al is over here, too. tamron thinks that the couple in some way taunted the whale to make it jump out of the water like that.

>> whatever. >> she's going the same way you are. if i were you, i'd go in the opposite direction. wow, who is this? this is a big boy. how old? >> 14 months old. >> i like that. and got a couple of 16-year-old twins here. what's your name? >> sydney. >> shelby. >> very nice. where are you guys from? >> kentucky. >> happy birthday. this young lady has a very nice sign here. let's check your weather, she what's happening. and we'll show you, got this developing storm, it looks like that this would become bonnie, this tropical wave over the bahamas, probably will become a tropical depression or storm later today. we've got storm warnings probably going to be issued later for the bahamas and southern florida later on today. we've got severe storms from northern indiana all the way in to montana today. possibility of tornadoes. would-be storms firing up already. rainfall amounts going to be big. we're talking anywhere from

three to five, some areas seven inches of rain in southern wisconsin on into southern nans and into central michigan. >> good morning. happy thursday. a lot of cloud cover and fog as we look over alcatraz and of course the tower in the distance, angel island. temperatures running cooler than average. 6 # is average for san francisco, going 06. 85 is average in san jose, going 77 and cooling will continue through the weekend. only upper 50s and low 60s at the beaches, so you need those layers. summertime pattern for us, it's here and warmer spots are going to be on the mild side. not only today but most of this week and next week. have a great day. that's your latest weather. tamron, jim shows you how to taunt the whales. >> i'll be sure not to try it on my next sailing expedition. thank you, al. he was once a hollywood heartthrob and power player. now mel gibson's life is playing out in the headlines amid allegations he hit his former

girlfriend. and now investigators are looking into allegations she tried to extort him. "people" magazine's senior editor, kate, good morning. >> good morning. >> are you at all surprised at this point that mel gibson has not come out and tried to defend his name, his honor at this point? >> well, on some level he is. he has lawyers who are working very hard to argue in the court that he is not any of the things that these tapes would allege that he is. that he is not abusive, and he has never tried to harm the mother of his child. maybe he certainly never tried to harm his child. so he's going about this in a very legal, and perhaps not as public way. but he is working on defending himself. >> while he's working on that, on the other side, someone hur is working to paint a picture of mel gibson. i want to play a clip from one of the many rants now on the internet, allegedly of mel gibson. >> -- child and she doesn't need a gold digging [ bleep ] russian [ bleep ].

>> you're acting as a crazy man right now. and you have been for many, many months. and you hit me and you hit her while she was in my hands. >> so oksana grigorieva is denying that she released the tapes to the public. but we do know there's now an investigation on alleged extortion on her part. >> this is ugly on both sides. obviously everything that's alleged in these tapes, and now there's the other side alleging that these tapes only exist as an extortion ploy to get money out of mel to keep her from releasing them. >> has there been any proof of this alleged extortion? >> not -- not in the public eye yet. things are being introduced into court all the time. there's still -- the lawyers are continuing to battle this out. but so far in the public eye, there's been no evidence. >> and there's also been a picture of oksana grigorieva, allegedly showing her teeth broken. she refers to it in this audiotape, as well. but, in the end, you've got mel gibson's former wife robin defending him. you have some friends, but few,

sticking up for him. can his career, if that's what's even important at this point, survive? >> i don't think the career is what's important to him right now. and certainly mel has been successful enough over the past decade that making another hit movie isn't a huge, at least financial, concern for him. but, you know, there are definitely people who have not counted him out, who think that, you know, it is possible that he will be able to recover from this. >> in your research -- you know, if this is mel gibson on this audiotape you would think that this doesn't happen overnight. that if someone has that kind of rage or those quote/unquote issues, that it would have surfaced over time. did "people" magazine find any evidence of that? >> well, certainly it's been well-known that he is an edgy, brooding, very masculine kind of guy and that he has a -- >> a lot of guys have that -- >> and they do. and they have tempers, and you know, you can think of russell crowe throwing a telephone or things like that. these things do happen. there are action stars who have the temper to go with it. but it's interesting, one of the things that might, in a way,

almost be a defense of this phone call is this is so off the map. this is so intense, so crazy, so deranged at times that it almost seems impossible this would be the way anybody would normally behave. that this would be anything they would be capable of. >> but there's so many calls. i stayed up because i wanted to hear them in their entirety. one lasted 11 minutes. i thought how could someone keep that level of anger for so long? >> well, obviously this is a relationship that is profoundly toxic, and created a level of rage in -- in this person, allegedly mel gibson, that, you know, clearly i don't think anyone could sustain that. it's hard to believe sustaining it for 11 minutes. i doubt he could have sustained that for a lifetime. >> what about her reports that he may move to australia, that he can't take life here anymore, that the microscope is too intense? >> those have been unfounded so far. you know, obviously, mel has enough money to live wherever he wants to live. he also has enough money to, you

know, keep the paparazzi where there haven't been a lot of images of him. i'm sure he's being handled but he's been able to stay out of the public eye primarily since this all blew up. >> sounds like this will play out in court and we'll see what the next step is in his life and his career. >> exactly. >> all right, kate, we appreciate you coming on. coming up, how not to blow your budget when you head out to the mall. and later, ruins of the road. trips for keeping the peace and entertaining the kids on your family vacation. (wp move over, mr. ice cream man. mr. rollback is here.

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this morning on "today's money," blowing the budget. if you've ever bought something on impulse or gone to the mall for one thing and come out with five, guess what? you're not alone. there's actually a psychology to overspending. here to help us identify the triggers and help us spend less, margo gilman, deputy editor with "ladies' home journal." in this article you wrote something i thought that was kind of interesting. just because you like to shop and you do it a lot doesn't mean you shop well. >> yeah, well, i think that a lot of us consider ourselves really great shoppers, because we certainly spend a lot of time doing it. but a lot of us also have, you know, the experience of going into a store, with the idea of getting something, you know, pedestrian like a pair of sports

socks or a tea kettle -- >> or to get toilet paper. >> and you emerge three hours later can half a dozen shopping bags. >> every time i go into costco -- >> the costco effect, yes. >> i end up $300. >> just because you love to shop and do it a lot doesn't necessarily mean that you're good at it. doesn't necessarily mean that you're aware of the triggers that markets use to get us to spend more or triggers that make us buy things we don't need. >> in other words there are external triggers and internal triggers? >> yes, both kinds. >> you say people need hands off. >> yes, well there's on interesting study that finds that if you actually spend time touching a product, you're more likely to buy it. you know how they say, possession is nine tenths of the law? possession is nine tenths of the purchase. >> so once you pick that purse up and put it over your shoulder? >> it's more likely to wind up, you're more likely to wind up at the cash register. this is why car dealerships let you have 24-hour test drives. they know if you take that car home with you, you'll develop

some affection for it. a lot of bookstores have nice little places for you to go and read because you're going to walk that book to the register. if you want to curtail your spending you need to go to a hands-off policy. >> don't go shopping with a crowd. >> yes. this is another interesting effect. it's very subtle, you're not often aware of it. but people have been found to spend more money on things when they think that they're being watched. it doesn't matter who's watching you. could be a perfect stranger. it could be a friend. where it's all about our self-imp.j. and we don't want people to think of us as being cheap. so, you know, this is something that affects younger people more than older people. but it's a need to be aware of when you're shopping. you're never going to get macy's all to yourself. >> right. the other thing you say remove the temptation. you get all these catalogs, get rid of that? >> yes, there's a reason that victoria's secret sends catalogs once a month. there's a reason why retailers beam you daily with, you know, new merchandise, you know.

it works. you know, it's -- it's very seductive. we want to own these things and the only way to handle that is cut it off at the source. >> there are places you can go to get off the catalog list? >> you can unsubscribe at the bottom of the e-mails that you can get. or what i do, i just don't even let the temptation come into my house. i stand there at the garbage can by the mailboxes and i just dump them in the trash. recyclable trash. >> the other thing i thought is really interesting is you say consider the true cost of what it is you're buying. >> right, right. i think this year you really want to is your tail your spending, a smart thing to do is to think about the purchase, not just in terms of dollars and cents, but in terms of, you know, other tangibles, like think, you know, that dress is $200. well, you know, how many days would i have to work. how many hours would i have to work to afford that? >> or what could i get -- >> is it a car payment? you know, if you go through the process of really thinking about what is important, and what is valuable to you, you might, you

know, be able to put the impulse aside and do more. rational about it. >> the other trick, of course, triggers when you see that word sale. >> yes, sales are tricky aren't they. because i think there's probably nobody in his room who doesn't have a closet full of things that they bought on sale but they never used. they don't even like, right? and that's because marketers are very good at using, you know -- stirring up a frenzy. you know, midnight madness sale. limited quantities, get it now. and we react to that. we want to acquire these things and we want to be part of it. and there's also, i think, the sale, the whole treasure hunt aspect of it. you know, you've seen it in a magazine. you know what it's worth. >> you found something. >> and hear you can get it for 20% of the original price. that can trump our luck, too. so if it doesn't fit and it's not a flattering color. >> i want to jump to credit and debit cards. >> huge credit card problem in this country.

credit debt. and you just have to think about it. a credit card is sort of this little piece of plastic. it's once removed from the sweat that it took to earn the green that the card can spend for you. so, studies have found that people who actually use cash could spend, instead of credit cards, will spend less. >> so, if you actually see the dollars going out of your pocket, you know. all right, thank you so much. and for more information and more tips go to our website at todayshow.com. coming up, keeping the kids occupied when we hit the road this summer and later, your children -- b futirst these ssagme., go s ♪ now i know ♪ freedom is all that i need [ female announcer ] ladies, raise your spoons. now there's nothing left standing between you and a satisfying breakfast. introducing special k low-fat granola. with 50% less fat than the leading granola and 5 grams of fiber per serving,

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still to come on "today," activities to make the summer road trip as stress free as possible. >> plus how one woman's baking dlped wis rome heou t >> plus how one woman's baking dlped wis rome heou t world. taking the activia 14-day challenge. hi. my name is toni. they say that as you get older your system gets more sluggish. i'm a skeptic. however, this stuff tastes pretty good. really good. yeah, i like the way i feel. it's not a gimmick. it really, truly works. i would highly recommend it to anyone else to take this challenge. help regulate your digestive system. take the activia challenge. it works or it's free. take the activia challenge.

twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. good morning to you. 9:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> a check up here, southbound side, slowdowns, 25 minutes ago, things starting to clear up nicely. right there at the grade, slowing coming into pleasanton, not a big deal. skies clearing there as well. bay bridge showing some clearing as well. no problems at the toll plazas, meetering lights still on but turned off shortly. typical flow through berkeley and emryville.

traffic light now, deck of the bridge itself but can't see the top south and north tower there, that may be an issue but not so much. >> we have a lot of mist out there. close to the coast. only 54 degrees in san francisco. inland area, some 50s and closer to 60 degrees there and still a mild afternoon. we get some sunshine, bay side and inland spots, temperatures running cooler than average. look at the beaches, to san francisco as well. 50s and low 60s today. same for tomorrow. so we'll see some more of that fog tonight and into tomorrow morning for your morning commute and some wind as well. that will keep us on the cool side, not only today and tomorrow but through the weekend. next weekend weh ti with more 70s. back after this break. it

>> shoppers in san mateo county may shell on more for sales tax. county supervisors looking to putting sales tax increase on november ballot. they'll consider the proposalen tuesday. the increase could potentially raise $30 million for the

cash-strapped county. critics say the smallest increase could drive shoppers to other counties. the latest city saying no to smart lead hefrs city council hamted controversial meters until hearing can be held to determinen in meters could lead to health issues. there are concerns about inaccurate readings. scotts valley joins a growing number of communities issuing moratoriums, fairfax approved one this month and san francisco supervisors are talking about doing the same. i'll have another local news update in about half hour. "today" show returns in less than a minute. have a great thursday morning.

♪ >> "american idol" champ now a country music superstar, carrie underwood is going to be taking our summer concert stage next friday on "today." then the following week, train pulls into our station with their signature sound. and the concert series rolling on on august 13th, ke$ha will take over our plaza.

i'll just keep talking. blah, blah, blah. of course times agoing tic toc, tic toc. why our summer concert series is in full swing. >> don't forget tomorrow on today, get up early and come on down so you can get a good spot tomorrow live on the plaza. oh, i want to hang out here all summer. meanwhile coming up in this half hour, are we there yet? a road trip with the kids can certainly be -- >> you've got a road trip coming. >> to texas. it's supposed to be bonding. we'll see if that works out. it can also mean back seat fights, whining, boredom. >> and that's tamron. >> but this morning we're going to give you some fun ideas for keeping the kids happy and occupied and some parenting tips to help keep the peace. i will be in the car with four children ranging in age from 13 to 8 months. >> all right. >> i need a drink. >> we'll also check out how one woman is breaking bread with women around the world helping them find jobs and lift their self-esteem, just by teaching

them how to bake. and on that note we're going to get a lesson in traditional mexican cooking, veracruz style red snapper and rice in "today's kitchen." >> very nice, in the meantime let's get a check of the weather. >> all right, let's check your weather for the weekend. it's going to be sizzling. temperature about 120 degrees in lillian on saturday. sunny and hot up to the pacific northwest. storms in upper mississippi and ohio river valleys, then sunday sizzling weather throughout much of the country, hot in the pacific northwest. showers in northern new england. hit or miss showers and thunderstorms alone the gulf coast. rain throughout the four corners area into the central >> good thursday morning to you, live, still a lot of fog close to the beaches and starting to get clearing but we do have something that will give us some wind right off the water. keep that cold air coming on in, so temperatures on the mild side today. through most of the this week. not really going to move. 60 today in san francisco, 77 in san jose, 70s in the north end and east bay.

80s sprinkled throughout the warmer spots. that's the story today and tomorrow. there is the seven-day forecast. expect more of the same tomorrow through sunday. and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al, thank you very much. up next the rules of the road to make your family vacation fun for everyone. right after this. when i was seventeen i was not good to my skin. long summer days, and not enough sleep. what i wouldn't do for a do-over. [ female announcer ] new neutrogena® clinical skincare. exclusive ion2 complex combined with activating cream helps restore collagen depleted skin. neutrogena clinical skincare is clinically tested to undo the look of a year's worth of skin aging in just 4 weeks. do-overs do exist. [ female announcer ] new clinical skincare. neutrogena. #1 dermatologist recommended brand. [ female announcer ] new clinical skincare. have you tried honey bunches of oats yet? every spoonful is a little different. mmm. they got three kinds of flakes. this is delicious. it's the perfect combination of sweet and crispy. i love it. this is so good.

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seems like a great idea until the whining and the bickering start. you hear those inevitable words, are we there yet? here to help you save your sanity is parenting expert michelle borba. good morning. >> good morning to you. >>'s start with the big question, when the kids say, are we there yet? >> well, almost is the answer. there's four things you've got to keep in mind. if we're a little prepared ahead of time, why do kids usually act up? boredom, hunger, fatigue and too close quarters. if we can solve those four elements that's what we're going to do today. it's going to be a less stressed you and a happier kid. >> that's what you wanted is a family vacation. it's a great time to bond. you say start off with setting the rules of the road. >> the house rules, same for the car. write them down. the most inevitable ones are hands to self, quieter voice, keep your seat belt on, and just enjoy life. but if they know what the rules are you're more likely to keep that behavior intact and your

best ploy when they get out of control, break. use the rear view mirror, then slowly move over to the side, shut off the engine and the fascinating thing is i guarantee, kids realize, she's not moving until we shape up. don't make me come back there. >> okay, you also suggest, and you mention hunger to pack snacks early. >> pack snacks, obviously, the healthier snacks. the well-chilled bottles. here's the other thing that's wonderful about an ice chest. not only is it going to help with the snacks but it helps with close quarters. if you put it between two kids, that's your side, that's your side, don't move over the border. and a little bit slightly bigger chest makes a great little tray or coloring chest. >> you better make sure everything is evenly distributed. >> there you go. >> let's get to the games. you say keep it basic. >> and you don't have to have a whole bunch of things so you'll be picking thins up. this is when you start with the oldies but goodies like a spy

and the license plate game where you can actually start doing geography. the other thing i think is the best investment for a car and you already have it are cookie sheets. they stack perfectly. you can put them underneath the front seat. they turn into wonderful benefits. first they're an instant tray so a kid can color or play cards. second of all they make an instant snacking tray. and third for littler critters they're magnetic so you can bring magnetic letters and they can play all on the top of it and it's instant, mess free. >> that is a great idea. >> and you can just wash them and put them back in the cupboard when you come home. >> no, keep them in the car forever. >> what else do you have? >> this one now it's quiet time. hopefully most parents say their best time with a kid is driving at night. so what if one child is asleep and you're still awake, but there's another one that's there? the best one i absolutely love is this new one, it's the v. reader from, the world's first

e-book. so it's for little kids. absolutely powerful, because first of all, it's animated little cartridges that you can put in there like the little engine that could that they can follow along. or you know, the toy story one here. but it has a backlight. so, it automatically opens up, the kid did still keep reading it when it's night time, and comes with earplugs so that means sanity is saved for the mom. you plug in, and sanity for the other kids who may not want to hear the reader. >> and you're also encouraging reader. >> now we come to the older child who already has the mp3 player. make sure that he brings his ear plugs. but the most important thing is right before you start to get in the car go to the library. just pull out a couple of cds and audio books like, could be trilight or it could be "to kill a mockingbird." have them downloaded and what you'll be doing is giving an extra two hours and encouraging reading. >> and what's this? >> this one is memories and make a happy memory.

if you just give each child a disposable camera and tell them to take one shot of their special memory for the day, give them a little scrapbook they can actually be filling it out, what you'll have by the end of this trip is a memory log that will last a lifetime. you're encouraging reading skills along the way and it's just one more way to empower the child. >> these are great tips. i think if you follow them it should be a pretty happy vacation. >> the other thing is remember, it's your very indication, too. so keep the expectations low, and anything along the way is just going to be a little better, because if you keep them low, why not? >> let's hit the road. >> thank you so much. >> great ideas. and up next an inspiring story of wiomen on the rise. from capital one, we get double miles on every purchase. so we earned an l.a. getaway twice as fast. we get double miles every time we use our card. no matter what we're buying. and since double miles add up quick... romans! get em! [ garth ] ...we can bring the whole gang. [ sheep bleats ] it's hard to beat double miles. whoa -- he's on the list.

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it's been said that bread is the staff of life. but for some women who emigrated to the united states it's become a lifeline. it's all thanks to one woman's dedication and her special nonprofit kitchen here in new york. >> my name is antonia and i'm from mexico. >> my name is erica. >> i'm lostral from morocco. >> for these women thinking is their new way of life. their different cultures

inspired the breads they create. >> i think there's something really elemental about bread. it's a food that exists in all cultures. >> jessamin used her background in public policy to create hot bread kitchen three years ago, a bakery with special purpose. >> particularly foreign-born women are the lowest paid workers in the u.s. workforce and i wanted to really help women access jobs that were better paid. we don't necessarily hire women that were professional bakers. the first thing that's most important to us is that women have a passion for food and some knowledge of the breads from the country that they come from. >> this recipe belonged to my great grandmother. when you make by hand, we make in mexico. >> reporter: in this bakery, it's the women who rise. but jessamin's idea of long-term success extends beyond this kitchen. she even offers english classes for those who want it. >> i hope for our bakers after six months they'll be able to

get well-paid jobs in the food manufacturing industry or high-end bakeries and for a small group of them to launch their own small businesses. >> and it has worked for bouchrant now working in the kitchen of daniel boulud. so far women of 11 different countries have passed through this training kitchen, each bringing a taste of their native land to their new american home, into the lucky hands of those who buy their bread. >> it helps the woman, the immigrant woman. >> yeah, they like it. >> we've got an array of some of the breads here that i tried a little bit. >> the granola, that's a good way to start the morning. i think that's an amazing program. it is inspiring to see those women to the. food unites on so many levels

but this is really special. >> that's right. and there's a great benefit to it, too. >> up next we're going to stay in the kitchen with south of the border flavors you want to snap up. we're cooking snapper.

this morning in "today's kitchen," traditional mexican flavor. top chef rory at the culinary center at the ritz-carlton, how about going to work there every day, is here to show us an easy mexican style rice and snapper veracr veracruz. good morning. >> good morning. >> your kitchen at work is spectacular. >> thank you. thank you. >> what a life. that's your baby and this is your passion. >> mm-hmm. >> what are we making sheer? >> we're doing a snapper veracruz. snapper veracruz consists of we had some beautiful snapper which

we seared off earlier. we have onions, some garlic -- >> why do you like snapper? >> it's a local fish we have around and i can catch it in the morning before i come into work and then i can just cook it up. >> you do this? >> that would be nice. >> but it's a beautiful fish. it is considered a light fish? >> it's very light and very low fat content. so it actually is easy to pair it with different items because it doesn't overpower. >> okay. let's get started simmering here. >> exactly. so if you don't mind, let's go ahead and add in sort of our tomatoes. >> that's are just regular chopped tomatoes? >> exactly. pour it right in. we julienned those up. and some other items here. some parsley, a little bit of oregano, a little bay leaf, we have some capers, golden raisins, and some olives. >> tell me why you decide on the raisins. what do the raisins today? >> traditionally, this is bell pepper based with tomatoes but i wanted to add a little sweetness to it. >> when you say veracruz style

what does that mean? >> it's from the state of veracruz which is a state that has a lot of spanish, french influence. and of course we're using fish from the gulf of mexico. >> lovely. so you put it all together. >> you kind of stir it together. we're going to add basically all of that sauce there. pour it in. this is just a little bit of juice. today we're using some canned tomatoes so i just strain the juice off and use the tomatoes. there you are. give yourself a little bit of salt in there. >> okay. >> but don't overseason, because it's going to be a point where it's going to be reducing down slightly so you don't want to make the salt too much. so it's always acceptable to kind of season your food up afterwards. a little pepper. and then, of course, you set that right there. wonderful. and then of course we have our finished sauce. >> how long do you cook it down? >> roughly five to seven minutes. after that we have little fresh parsley in there.

>> do you boss people around like this in your kitchen? >> oh, no, no, no. so what we're going to do is we'll just take some of our fish and place it inside. >> okay. >> quickly. and this is going to take about another two minutes to cook. >> in the meantime you're going to cook your rice, as well. the mexican style rice? how do we get that started? >> what we're going to do, can you just pour a little sauce over that fish. we have some rice with onions and garlic inside. we're going to pour a little rice in here. >> that's just regular long grain rice. >> mm-hmm. and we'll give it a stir to really coat the grains with the oil. then we have some other ingredients, we have some ground cumin, a little bit of chili powder, carrots, some peas and some serrano chiles which we use quite a bit in cancun. now we're going to pour everything in. just go ahead and douse it all in for our purposes today and you'll give that a stir. >> and add some chicken broth there? >> exactly.

quickly just stir it up and then we're going to take and pour all of our chicken stock in. now depending on how much salt you add, will determine what type of flavor you're going to get. put a quick stir on that. >> this is ready to eat? >> oh, my gosh. >> and this is the final product over here? >> it is our final product. >> walk over. >> let me grab our pan very quickly here. and what we're going to do is, you got a lovely fish here. place it on top just like that. >> oh. >> can we try it? >> absolutely. >> a couple dishes we actually serve in our restaurant. >> chef roy, thank you so much. congratulations on the success. coming up actress selena gomez. >> all about love and relationships just after your local news and weather. promise me low prices.

and stick to it. like seriously low prices. [ male announcer ] at safeway, we made a promise of low prices. and we're keeping it. [ female announcer ] take our great club card specials like four 6-packs of refreshe soda just $3.49. and any refreshe 2-liter 2 for $1. i need to know that when i'm here, the low prices will be too. monday, tuesday, everyday. i'm a big fan of everyday. [ male announcer ] and with thousands of everyday low prices, you'll save all over the store. [ female announcer ] low prices you can count on. at safeway, that's our promise. that's ingredients for life. zbloorm to you. it is 9:56. time to check the commute. >> take you to a report of what

sounds like a vehicle fire on the side of the road. slowing paflt the scene. no injuries and not a lot of details. there is some haze, so that might not be so visible as far as smoke. we have slowing toward 237 so watch for that. unusual slowing northbound 85, look at the blip. speed in the 25 area and coming a cross the water, craig, san mateo bridge, hazy. >> still hazy. good morning. a lot of that will stick right to the coast today and close to the coastal ring. enough of a breeze coming through keeping us on mild side, some clearing in the warmer spots inland but still with 50s and 60s. highs todays in the 60 x 70s, a few 80s yo, the trend through t weekend. next week, 70s in some warmer spots. if you're headed to the coast you know the routine, layers. you'll need them. >> no kidding. bundle up. arson investigators trying

to figure out why cars were on fire in the long term park lot. a fire burned six cars overnight. it started around 12:30 and now investigators don't know how they started. >> right now we don't know, that's what the fire department wasn't t wants the arson team to look at, unusual for a car out in the open on a cool dark night to ignite on et cetera own. >> looking at dmv records in hope of contacting owners of the cars that were damaged. new hospital set to built in san francisco but peopleho drive through the area will have to deal with traffic changes. construction on the massive earthquake-safe building will start early next year on cathedral hill, that means traffic delays for surrounding streets, post, van ness and franklin street. examiner reports the project will affect 18 intersections in all. the hospital will hold 550 beds and an underground parking lot. i'll have another local news update in about a half hour or

so. "today" show returns in about a minute. have a great day.

twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1 a in rockefeller plaza. >> we're so glad you're with us on thursday, jaul 22nd. did you know that most people are angrier on thursday than any other day of the week? did you know that? >> it would make sense, because you're not at the weekend yet, and i can see where you get angry. >> i've angered you and annoyed you ever since monday. >> yes.

>> do i do that to you, hoda, really? >> yeah. here's the drill. i was angry yesterday. here's what happened. i went to the post office to get a -- >> listen to this. >> a registered letter, and you know those are always bad. it's irs or lawyer thing. >> you throw every notice away, jury duty, irs, junk mail. >> hold on. i go and wait 30 minutes. your letter is not here. we'll call you. i get home, phone rings, we found t. gi back to the post office, and they said we found your letter. here it is. it says really big irs. so i'm thinking to myself, i shouldn't have picked it up. why did i ever bother going. so get it, and i'm the person that opens the mail right when i get it. i open my mail before i get in the elevator. i was opening it, and it was my address and someone else's name. someone else is in trouble with the irs and not me. i was so happy to see that.

>> do you know ho unloving that is. some woman is going to get the -- >> i know, but it wasn't me. i can't tell you how happy i was. i don't think i do anything wrong, but you never know when they get you and throw you in prison. >> you know twhawhat happens in prison? today is national hammock today. if you're angry today, you needham mock time. yesterday i partnered with an organization called hayneedle.com. i always struggle with na name. we're doing a joint venture with xhild help whichle battles child abuse, so yesterday i'm on the top of some building with bent any frankel. i don't know why bethany was there. that's carter on my right. he's head of hay needle and that's eduardo from hgtv and that's sarah rodriguez from

child help. >> where's bethany. >> she came later in her cute little shorts. have you ever been in a situation where you're going about it, and then something flies into your eye? something flew into my eye. in new york god knows what that could be. it's still there. it's still there. so i apologize about that. but everybody needs a little hammock time, hoda, and that's what you needed. >> you were on joy behar -- >> there i am on in a hammock. >> you were on joy behar's show yesterday talking about hammocks among other things. >> it's a bizarre position, hammocks and child abuse, but the point of it that hammocks are stress relievers, and we need to unplug and need to take off the -- >> turn off the blackberry. >> and relax. look at clouds. zipt to hear what you said to joy. what was that like? >> joy, that trouble-maker.

>> you worked with regis and now you work with hoda. how is it different with you? >> i get to be now the older, cranky one, and i like it. >> he was. zeefs the older, crank one. now he's older and crankier, and i get to be old and cranky. you get away with a lot more. joy, you know what it's like. i'm enjoying it. i didn't think i'd stay more than a year. i fell in love with hoda. she really, really is a great woman. >> the two of you get along nicely. >> did i say that? >> apparently you did. >> cat's out of the bag. she was a lot of fun. >> this is a big story today. it looks like this is photo shopped or not true. there's a picture of a 40-ton whale -- look at that thing -- leaping out of the water in south africa, and somebody was -- someone was taking this picture also whale watching and apparently there was a couple on

this coast and there's some question whether they cut their engine, but this whale was flopping around and they were watching it as it swam. it supposed is a baby whale. >> 40 tons and it's babe. >> a 40-ton baby. >> i hate to say it. it's ugly. most babies are cute, but that is not. >> look at the wreckage. they said the whale just maybe -- some of its barnacles and stuff is scraped up. >> bluber is the word. >> bluber on the side. >> i know the feeling. the wlael is fine and so are the people. >> have you ever been whale watchi watching? >> no. is it beautiful? >> it's wonder yus. not as great as a hammock. they're gentleman jestic and beautiful. they're friendly. apparently there's 1,000 feet away from them. who is going to measure? i don't know what a thousand feet is. >> they said this whale couldn't

see that well and the didn't know it was whacking into the boat and was just swimming up and down. >> do you think they did something wrong, hoda? you're so cynical. you believe somebody was doing something -- >> they taunlted that whale. >> they were supposed to leave the engine on, right. >> whales can sense sbrigs, so if the engine is on they wouldn't have gone near. that's my question was the engine off. >> it's a sailboat. >> it still has an engine. >> seven miles off the coast. who knows. we'll never know. >> there are women who are doing all kinds of things to meet men. there is a woman from florida who rented a place in the hamptons for two weeks, plunked down a half million dollars zooi. 500 grand for two weeks. this woman apparently wants to meet someone. she's 40-something, a it's working. apparently men are lining up.

>> she's very attractive. she's 40ish as they say, but other women are doing other things that are a little more adventuresome. >> there's a woman that's 35 years old, lisa lenihan. she's planned her wedding. itth date is february 13th. she doesn't have a groom yet. she's planning on getting a groom to get married on that day because it's her grandparents' we had date. she has the date, and she's proactive. you put it out there, and then it happens like the secret. i want to meet him. >> probably not. >> is she with us? >> i think she is. lisa. >> hi. >> hi, how is it going? >> it's going well. i have got -- >> is she naked? are you naked? >> no wonder you're busy. lisa, a blog you're doing. you're trying to get people to

underwrite basically the different things you need for your wedding. >> yes, actually the dallas bridal shows have put together vendors to sponsor the entire thing. all i have to worry about is finding a groom. >> anybody looking good. >> how is this philosophy. you have date and no guy. what are people saying to you about that? >> people have been really supportive, and it's like "the secret." it's an idea i had five months ago in new york city, and i thought if i plan my wedding a year out then toi have to get married. it's a crazy idea and it's fun. it's a social experiment. >> it was raa result of turning 35? >> yeah. >> one out of every two marriages ends in divorce, so basically, you know, even if you find the guy -- >> the depressing debbie downer attitu attitude. >> i wonder if she thought it

through. >> i understand. i'm innocent my 20s anymore, file like my odds are higher at having a successful marriage. i've never been married and seen a lot of good and bad marriages so i feel i have good experience and knowledge. i'm hoping i'll be one of the positive stories. >> good for you. you're adorable. >> let us know what happens. we'll call you on the 14th of february. >> any eligible bachelors can e-mail me. >> bye, honey. >> nau so much. >> bye-bye, sweetheart. >> that's interesting. >> would you do that? >> never. what happens on february 14th when you don't have anybody? you have to go out there somewhere and find somebody. >> totally desperate, though? >> you get that every now and then. that sinks in. okay. when she said i'm 35 and getting old, i was like, god, i hate her. okay or not okay. is it okay to dress up like your

kids. you say i wish i could dress like my daughter, but the truth is i'd look ridiculous and she'd refer to be season with me. >> hoda says like father like son doesn't mean matching sailors suits. zits guys and girls. >> what little girl wants to see mommy in a teen tube top. if mommy is no angelina jolie? i thought things through. all right. over to sarah. >> hi. >> hi. >> if you put out there, hopefully it's refundable. that's a lot of cost. in regard to your eyes, symptom fans have suggestions have somebody blow in it, hoda. linda says cry. >> i should you should laugh. laughing makes your eyes tear. >> laura our hairdresser said to peel on ons. i'm going to the eye doctor instead. >> coming next teen queen tina gomez and joey king.

look at the two. the little on the right is nothing but trouble. i'm warning you right now. that's right after this.

after y50erz of sitting on book shelves everywhere ramona beezus quimby are coming to life. >> getting to play the famous sisters are teen sensations tina gomez who is the perfect straight a older sister and beezus and joey king who the

mischievous and imagine active ramona. hello you. >> are you just like your character in real life. i met you for 15 seconds and you seem a lot like the character? >> not just like my character. i'm also like beezus? some ways as well. well, i've been having this thing seeing water wherever i go. i was like, okay, mooufg along really carefully. i was water on the table and on someone. i'm very accident-prone like ramona. >> ramona means well, doesn't she? >> exactly. i also have a big personality like her. >> do you have a big personality. >> just a little. your character isn't exactly perfect. you're going through things in the movie as well, and you get a little huffy with her on occasion. >> i think it definitely covers like the normal sister relationship of fighting and

then getting on your nerves. >> and yet the love. >> but then you love them. >> so you met on the movie, right? >> yes. >> so you guys are pals in real life. this isn't just a movie. tell us about your relationship. >> we instantly clicked. >> sxaktly. >> we spent every second of every day together. >> we went shopping, gave each other facials. >> i heard you even prayed together every morning before you filmed. >> we prayed every day. >> we went to starbucks. >> i got her first frappuccino. >> oh, come on. >> her mom really loved me after that day. >> no. it was calf teen, but they didn't have anything else. i'm getting used to the caffeinated stuff. >> it's going to stunt your growth. >> i like being short anyway. >> she gets it as a treat every now and then. >> did you have to dye your hair? you're not a natural red head, right? >> i'm like hoda's color.

>> that's not natural either. >> that's my actual -- mine is a little lighter, but that's my actual color. dirty blonde. >> i like this on you. >> isn't it great? >> you believe you're sisters watching you. you have great people playing your parents. >> she has two old sters and a half-sister danielle in texas. celiselena is like my 4 1/2 sis >> you have a lot going on, starting with what you're wearing, this little cute outfit. >> this is my clothing line called dream out loud sold at kmart and launches august 1st. >> that's exciting. >> it's really comfortable and casual and very -- the price is completely appropriate for all of my fans. >> adorable for kids. i love that. >> you have another movie that she wrapped in monte carlo, budapest and paris. >> it was so much fun. that's a movie called "mon tee

carlo" next spring. >> what's happening with wizards is it? is that sticking around? >> yes, we're doing season four. >> you have a big future ahead of you, missy. >> i hope so. i'm actually filming a movie this fall. >> see. >> i'm not allowed to say what it is, though. >> a kid like you can't be trusted. >> you wore the silly bands. >> it is such a sweet move spree. >> happy birthday to selena today, and your birthday is coming up next week. we wanted to give you a little birthday surprise. >> oh. >> thank you. >> go see "ramona and beezus." it opens tomorrow. >> our panel is ready to spill right after this. happy birthday, kids.  

they are here, and they are ready to spill. it's time for our guys tell all panel. >> rick younger is here. rick is married with a son. next up is a very funny chuck knight seen every work on "word's dumbest." he's been married for 12 years and she's still with him. >> we have andz drew trees and andrew is married with a

toddler. our single man in the house is master matchmaker and host of "tough love." mr. steve warren. welcome to the boys' table. >> he's the only single guy in the group. >> i'm here with elizabeth with florida and she has a question about women taking control. >> why is it that men have an issue with women who take control? we all know they get lost and need guidance, so what's the issue? >> there you go. guys do have an issue with that. >> don't you call that marriage. >> the whole thing with the control is the gloating about taking the control. it's kind of like, you know, we have roles we have to play. make us think that we're in control. kind of let us think it's our idea. so just a subtle suggestion. >> don't brag if you're right.

>> i don't think guys mind if a woman takes charge and it makes their lives easier and they doentd have to sweat it out. >> that's the single guy. >> yaeshgs sounds like a good idea, until it actually happens, you know. there's contributing control as a partnership, and there's control i think this young lady is talking about. kind of like the way a prison tells you what to eat, what to wear. >> are men looking for their mother in a way? >> that's right. i think from my own personal experience the only two words you need to know for a happy marriage are yes, dear. >> i think we stumbled upon our mother. it's like my wife and my mother get together, and they start talking. it's like the same stuff is coming out. my mother says stuff my wife has already said. she's like, see, i told you. >> there's a difference between taking control, and that's taking initiative, and being

controlling. i don't think men plik women that are controlling, but i think they admire a woman that's willing to make an initiative. >> that's a good distinction. andrew should have made it. >> my husband loves to telling my age to people. i've informed him on plenty of occasions a woman doesn't tell her age, however he doesn't care i don't like him doing it and keeps doing it. >> i do the same thing. >> i mean, i know women like my woman looks phenomenal for my age. >> my mom is 51 years old. >> she's young. >> no wonder. >> i think one of the biggerish use is she doesn't like it and he keeping doing it. >> here's what it comes down to. in any marriage where one partner is constantly doing something that you have already established you do not like, that is a passive/aggressive attempt at saying, i don't like you. that's what we're saying. >> another thing andrew should

have said. >> we read his book, "decoding love." >> obviously, that guy is not happy. there's something wrong in the marriage, and he's doing it to vent his frustration. >> maybe he's proud of her because she looks gorgeous. >> but she told him 20 times. >> maybe it's a problem with him and his age. he wants everybody to know look, she's in the same boat with me, and we're the same age. >> she doesn't like it. >> we'll take a commercial break and we'll come back and have more questions from across the street and on skype and everywhere. ♪ ♪ oh, love me ♪ oh oh oh ♪ just love me ♪ oh oh oh ♪ just hold me ♪ oh oh oh ♪ just kiss me ♪ oh oh oh ♪ just want me ♪ l-o-v-e ♪ love, love, love, love

♪ ♪ ♪ l-o-v-e ♪ love, love, love, love

good thursday morning to you. 10:26. time to check the commute one more time with mike and a sig alert? >> that is a problem now for san jose, northbound 880, north of 208 at bascam two left lanes closed, overturned vehicle on the scene. overall things are starting to clear up and peninsula, big slowing northbound through san mateo. >> and we're going to have the cool day. we have some wind blowing through here, fog off the coast and be with us at the coast, keeping us in the 50s and 60s, everywhere else 70s and 80s.

mild today, mentioning that all day long and that's the story for today, tomorrow and into the weekend through next week. now 10:26. laura garcia-can none non is ba after this break.

>> newly released surveillance video may be the key to catching sus pekt whose police say killed a virginia man on ooh oakland street corner. this records was taken feet from the crime scene and minutes before he was shot to death sunday night. investigators think the man and

woman seen clearly on the tape may have pull the trigger after robbing him of just $17. the father of three was in the bay area for a job interview at google. if you have any information call oakland police. volunteers giving seven early childhood centers temporary reprieve in oakland. all werest to close at the end of the month, parents, laid off workers and community leaders will help staff each through august 31st. state and city budget cuts, say no more funding to keep the facilities open. next week school district officials will determine if they can find the cash to keep those centers open permanently. bay area has a new park to enjoy, a kickoff celebration tonight for the dublin hills recreational park north of 580. the 520-acre includes a beautiful view of san francisco, trails open to hikers, bicycl t bicyclists and equestrians.

something to enjoy and of course celebrate here in the bay area. so many beautiful vistas. thanks for joining us this morning. "today" show continue. see you bright and early tomorrow morning. we're back with more of "today" and our "guys tell all" panel. hello, everybody. here we go. we're back and we have a question from katie. let's listen. >> hi. i'm katie, and i'm from connecticut and my question for the men's panel is, why when you have a good thing going with a male friend do they always ruin it by wanting more? >> because it was only a good thing for you. we don't want to be just your friend.

it's like this is the default. he's become your friends because you won't let him be more. >> guys kantd be friends with girls. >> there are things like this when men are twice as lucky to think it's a good idea to have a relationship with a female friends. it's better to have sex or relationships with female friends. >> i think he is such good friends because he wants more, and usually if a guy isn't interested in more than just a friendship, you'll see his true colors and maybe he's not as admirabl admirable. >> i'm with her. why would i ruin something by wanting more from it, you know? i've been working for free all these years. why would i want a pay economic, ridiculous. ask for money. i've been fixing your toilets and fixing stuff around and i'm going to ask you for money. >> let's get drinks and meet friends and make some nice

friends. guys become your friend because well, hey, at least i can be your friend. >> everything is sexually motivated. >> i conducted my own poll on twitter. >> bit you did. >> we've met your pole. it's lovely. >> if you have feelings for someone else is it possible to just be friends, and nine out of ten women said it is and five out of ten men said it isn't. so i think most of the men are interested in more anyway. >> studies show that men are remarkable quick to read sexual content. >> we don't mean anything by it. >> and they say yeah, we're halfway home. >> this is sarah across the street. >> i'm here with colleen from florida. she has a question about the type of woman men are looking for. >> could a man of any age be attracted to a woman that wore her hair like this 24/7? >> let me tell you something, young lady.

i don't know how old you are, but if i wasn't married i'm toss you around for a little bit. >> you know what? she has a princess lea thing going on. >> what i liked about her is she has a positive attitude. she's the kind of woman you look up and you're like, man. >> she'd be fun. >> you start out as friends, but as a guy we want more. >> are there men of any age that would be attracted to her, and i would say that probably over the age of 65. that would probably be a safe bet. >> that's not nice. >> she doesn't want to hear that. >> between that lady and your mother, you're not on a roll. >> i don't think men in their 50s or 40s are -- >> i love rita moreno to this day. sexy has no age, and i'm not saying that the majority of her fan base is going to be 21 years

old, but there's going to be somebody whos like hey, how you doing? >> men -- generally for women they're younger and if their older, so in 20s men like women 2 to 3 years younger and by 60s and 70s it's 12 years younger. >> we have another question on tape. let's listen to it. >> hello. my name is nicole and i'm from germany. when i'm out socially, should guys always approach the girl first. >> good question. what do you think? >> maybe in germany. >> i don't think anything is always. i think that if it's important to you that you get a chance to meet someone and you're a woman and it's not happening, maybe you put yourself in the line of fire or give him an opportunity. because, you know, sometimes we're intimidated. >> how? >> you don't have to approach a man. all you have to do is be available, and he will take the cue.

eye contact, smile, you know. a second look. >> second look. >> i don't read. >> you read my book. >> honestly that's what happens. if you smile at a man and give him a second look, then he knows that something is up. >> you have to do that, because studies have shown almost all men won't approach until they get nonverbal signals from the woman. >> i think that's ridiculous. i think if a guy is entitled to go up to a woman and ask her out, i think a women is equally entitled to. >> does it turn you off? >> no. i like strong, confident women. i don't see anything wrong with a woman saying i noticed you from across the room. are you single? >> why do i cringe? >> studies show that women who approach verbally does turn off a lot of men.

thank you. >> but i'll give you this. i don't have statistics to prove it. most guys like women that like him. if you say something, hey, she likes me -- >> the reason why the nonverbal cues are important is when a woman approaches you verbally it gives an air of i'm being set p up. what's going on? >> something is going on here. where are the police? something is going on here. something's wrong. >> these guys are all married. i have to speak on the behalf of single men out there that don't mind a confident woman and don't mind a woman taking control. >> i haven't been married all my life, and i'm here to tell you, i waited a while to get married. i'm telling you it's like there's an appreciation for a woman who will let you know she's interested, but there is like chuck said, there's a little bit of what's going on? >> a guy with a rock slab full

of ice going, let's go, sweetie. >> that's what we need to do, unfortunately. thanks to everybody over at the nbc digital cafe. how to make sure your house is safe and secure when you head away for a week. that's right after this.  @@

if you're planning on setting out for vacation.

>> we have advice on how to protect your on possessions and skwur your house before you head out. you were with us before, and you were so good. >> thank you. >> we wanted you back. >> you make it easy. you're great. >> a lot of people are on social networking sites and they say, sometimes, hey, going away and excited to go. >> going to be in hawaii for two weeks. >> i know of two families wluz houses were completely cleaned out because one guy twittered before he left. we're going to be out of town from this time to this time. the bottom line is summer is the season for home burglaries. >> i'm sure. >> it's the one time of year that everybody in america takes some length of time and leaves their house completely vacant. so the thing you have to remember is it's not just about -- it's people in your neighborhood. it's acquaintances. you don't know who is out there. so don't twitter before. save the twittering for after. >> facebook, pictures the whole thing.

don't advertise on craig aeslis you're looking for a house sitter. >> it creeps me out, craigslist. >> you say you have to protect the perimeter of your yard sxhous. >> all about building the safety of the perimeter. number one thing is these motion sensor lights are grease. there are ones that are solar powered. easy to put up. light up the perimeter of your house so burglars don't feel comfortable coming in and hanging out and scoping it out. >> people are concerned about the electric bills. >> it's pennies. that's why get the solar one, then. >> right. all right, safety chick. >> the other thing is -- >> if that's your real name. >> that's what they tell me. >> the anyw anyway along the side of your houseplant thorny bushes so they feel uncomfortable there.

and we're getting into the barrier. >> you should have an alarm system, period. >> monitored alarm systems are your best line of first defense. that's the best. >> is there a way through all of that if they want to get into your house? >> you know, yes, but the thing is at least you're -- if they get in, somebody is notified and the police are on the way. >> and there's an alarm sounding. >> criminals do really look for the easier targets, so the more you have -- it doesn't center to look like a fortress. landscaping safety. >> like that. >> exactly. >> this is a good lock. >> you want to make sure you have a good, solid dead bolt. this is a good first line. >> what is this? >> i can't say a brand name. >> we could. >> you want to make sure it's a good, solid dead bolt. i have to tell you i love this wireless camera, okay? look, it's a -- you see at larm clock.

it's a working alarm clock that's videotaping inside your house. you have cameras outside your house. ilts a piece of software you put into your hard computer at home. >> the camera is in this thing? >> it's one of the dots in the middle. here's the thing about it. so it's easy to install in your home computer. it streams to your computer, your laptop, your cell phone. >> you have these all over your house. >> in rooms that matter, but the thing is on vacation it's a motion sensor and it will record 30 to 45 seconds so you can see people. >> people have found all kinds of things that way. >> exactly. this one just is peace of mind. >> be careful what you wish for. you may see it. >> that's the perimeter and the inside. there's also like little simple tricks you can do that make someone who is casing your house think that someone is home, because that's the idea. you don't want it to look like a locked down fortress, you want

it lived-in. if you have a great neighbor that can come over -- >> the neighborhood watch things are great, too. >> somebody that can come and actually move your car or take in the your mail. >> people leave their newspapers just piled up. >> exactly. this is the obvious one. we heard about the timers, but those work. put them on different rooms and make them go on and off at different times. >> what is this? >> this thing is great. if you can leave your dog at home, because dogs are great deterrents. if you leave the dog at home and have the neighborhood boy feed the dog, it's great. this is a dog barking alarm. are you ready? [ dog barking ] >> he doesn't sound too menacing. >> there are ones that are german shepherds. it has a motion sensor and as you get closer to the door it gets louder. it's all about having a deterrent to keep your burglar

way. >> kathleen, thank you, honey. >> she's a safety chick. we love her. >> coming up next, booze and baking. my mercury moment came when i got caught in this insane dust storm

on the way back from vegas. the paint had been completely sanded off my new truck! i called my mercury agent, sarah, but i didn't really expect to be covered for dust damage. mercury was cool though... they took care of everything including a brand new paint job. in the end, switching car insurance saved me hundreds of dollars, and three coats of fire engine red.

and someone put their sticky hand on it. not cool. call 888-4-mercury or visit mercuryinsurance.com to get a fast, free quote and start saving today.

time for today's kitchen. this time we're getting sauced and not saucy from beer cake to shand anyway, the recipe for spirited sweets is the perfect book for those that like to break open a bottle. >> we'll eat to that. >> lucy baker is the author of the book as well as a food writer. baker is her real name. >> lucy baker. >> how are you? >> what are we tooking up? >> a plum beer cake and also some blondies with chardonnay. >> what made you decide to put booze des moines your recipes.

>> a few years ago i had a party and a friend bought ouzo. after the party i used it to bake a cake, and it was so delicious and it opened up this whole new world. >> whole new world. >> let's make this plum thing. >> in here we have a mixture of butter, sugar and an egg. we're going to turn it on low. we'll add in three tablespoons of molasses. now, in this bowl we have a mixture of flour and just a little bit of baking soda and salt and will add two teaspoons of cinnamon and two sea teaspoons of ginger. give it a quick whip just to incorporate all the ingredients. then what you want to do is add alternately a little bit of the flour. >> is this the beer? >> that is the beer. that is a dark german beer. just put in half.

>> half. okay. >> there you go. if you can't find that -- >> is that like a guinness. >> if you can't that particular kind of beer by all means -- then pour in the rest of the boar? >> does it taste like beer whether you're done? >> it does. dark beer lager, dark stout have sort of like a chocolately coffee flavor to them. it pairs really well the cinnamon and ginger in the cake. we're going to let that mix up, and i have the batter already here. you want to arrange your plums in the batter. it's a really homey dessert, so you can have fun tw. it doesn't have to look perfect. >> can you turn that off? how do you do it? >> i have one eye. i'm sorry. >> here is the finished dessert, you can taste. >> hoda is going to try it. >> can kids eat this stuff because of the alcohol in it? what do you think? >> i think it would be feign.

most of the alcohol burns off in the oven but it leaves the flavors behind. it adds this sevwarm decadence. >> it's good. you can taste the beer in it. >> the it's delicious. >> so over here we make blondies with chardonnay, and i love the oak bar at the plaza hotel and i wanted to make a play on words and turn it into a dessert. in this bowl we have a mission t mixture of light brown sugar and an egg. >> this is a variation on a theme. >> we understand what you're doing. >> she loves her blender. >> first we add in the dry ingredients. kathie lee pour in -- dump in all in there. >> that does not like like much. >> it's just a quarter cup. >> and you want to make sure to

use a chardonnay that's been aged in oak barrels. most of the time it will say on the bolgtttle. to this mixture we add half a cup of chopped he toasted cashews and butterscotch chips. >> imt not eating this. >> i actually can't. >> you want me to do this? >> go ahead, hoda. >> this is -- you would love this one. >> her book is available because look at this velvet cook. thank you boozy baker. we'll be back with more of "today" on nbc. @ú@

tomorrow carol channing will be here, and we'll see what it's like to lay on a $33,000 mattress. >> i can't wait. >> just a reminder for the next

"guys tell all" submit your questions on our website and we may ask yours. >> we have a great day coming up. it's thirst day. don't be angry today. go lay down in a hammock, okay,o t your